France oil strikes: Leading union rejects wage talks as ‘blackmail’

France’s leading union has rejected wage talks as “blackmail” following two weeks of strike action at refineries that has partially paralyzed the European country.

On Monday, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), which represents labor forces at TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil’s Esso France, denounced as “blackmail” a conditional offer by TotalEnergies for early wage talks, saying strikes that have left a third of France’s fuel stations running short would continue until at least Tuesday.

“This attempt is perceived as blackmail by the CGT and does not guarantee satisfaction of the demands expressed and therefore the return to work,” the CGT said in a statement, just a day after TotalEnergies offered to bring forward pay negotiations on the condition that the union ends the strike.

The union is demanding wage increases of 10 percent.

Hundreds of gas stations around France and particularly in the Paris region were reportedly running out of fuel on Monday after almost a third of the petrol stations had problems getting deliveries of fuel.

The strike, announced by French tanker drivers responsible for delivering fuel, gas, and chemical products on Friday, is over low wages and harsh working conditions amid a cost-of-living crisis in France.

The industrial action at TotalEnergies, which coincides with strikes at two Exxon Mobil refineries in the country, follows similar protests held across the European Union against soaring inflation and the rising cost of living caused by sanctions imposed on Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for putting a quick end to the persisting crisis as his government is under increasing pressure to act as the strike continues and more fuel stations run out of some products.

“Negotiations are under way and on track…I hope that in the coming hours, the soonest, this can be resolved. Blocking is not a way to negotiate,” the French leader said during a visit to the Mayenne in western France on Monday.

In a statement on Sunday, Esso France, Exxon Mobil’s French business, said it had put an improved offer for a 6.5-percent salary raise in 2023 and a 3,000-euro ($2,908) bonus on the table.

According to the statement, the offer means an overall wage increase of 10.7 percent, plus 4,000 euros in bonuses, over the period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023.

The strikes have already taken offline over 60 percent of the country’s refining capacity, making diesel prices climb and forcing Paris to increase imports of fuel.

The strike has forced TotalEnergies’ 240,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Gonfreville refinery offline.

The CGT has blockaded some fuel depots around the country and in the greater Paris region of Ile-de-France.

The oil strikes have mounted added pressure on Macron, whose government is already facing discontent among the public over inflation and higher cost of living.