Pension reform: strikes in nuclear power plants, refineries and ports

The CGT organizes additional energy mobilizations before the national unitary day scheduled for January 31.

MO12345lemonde with AFP

Before the national day of January 31 against the pension reform, the strike resumed on Thursday January 26 and until Friday in refineries, electric power plants, but also ports and docks. The reform of Emmanuel Macron, to which all unions are opposed and which will arrive on Monday in Parliament, would lead to the abolition of special regimes at EDF or Engie. Their employees would also be forced, in the long term, to wait 64 years to receive their pension.

On January 31, at the call of all unions, the strike will concern all sectors: schools, civil servants, transport, services … but in energy, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) organizes additional mobilizations. She wishes to “go and seek even more strikers for the 31st and show that we master the working tool”, explains to the France-Presse Fabrice Coudour, federal secretary of the union in the energy branch.

filtering

At the very beginning of the day, the strikers led filtering operations at the entrance to nuclear power plants, delaying the start of work for day teams. Production reductions in power plants and dams were expected on Thursday, but they should not cause power cuts for the general public, as they are supervised by electricity transport network (RTE), the line manager High and very high voltage.

Despite the presence of many strikers, “there were not many production reductions that night,” said Coudour on Thursday, reporting on network security messages “from the end of Day Wednesday “. RTE, responsible for ensuring the security of the supply of electricity, can send such messages to the strikers if it considers that the production reductions compromise the operation of the network.

“We wonder about the veracity of these messages,” said the union official, given their publication just before the strike. “If these are messages to guarantee trade”, the assemblies of strikers will wonder if they have to “respect them or not”, he added.

In refineries, the cessation of installations is not on the agenda, but fuel shipping will be blocked towards deposits. At Totalenergies, the CGT reported on Thursday morning of 100 % strikers at Flanders (North), 80 % at the Normandy refinery, 60 % at the Bioraffine de la Mède (Bouches-du-Rhône), 50 % at the Dongerie de Donges (Loire-Atlantique) and 30 % on the Grandpuits site (Seine-et-Marne).

“Touch the economy”

On the menu of these two days of mobilization, also “positive” actions in energy: free, prices reductions and reinstatement of the current for cut households are expected, in order to counterbalance the reproaches addressed after the announcement “targeted cuts”, especially against elected officials favorable to reform. As of Wednesday, cuts took place on wind and solar parks in the Montluçon sector, claimed by the CGT. As every time, Enedis will file a complaint.

“We do not wish [no] blockages that would be penalizing for all French people and we do not accept any threat,” said Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt, before the Senate, speaking of “offense “More than” political or militant action “.

The CGT-Pétrole nevertheless wishes “a little harder movement,” said Thierry Defresne, CGT secretary of the Totalnergies Europe Committee. “Me, I do not like the term” block “, but we think that it takes a generalization of the strike to touch the economy,” added Mr. Defresne, who sees there the only way to “back down the government “, unlike twenty-four hours movements spaced in time. The oil tankers are considering local actions with employees of port infrastructure. The CGT Federation of Ports and Docks called for a strike of twenty-four hours Thursday.

/Media reports cited above.