What if the strike was no longer counted in days, but in weeks? The movement continues this Thursday, October 13 in five of the TotalEnergies refineries stopped and within the Esso-ExxonMobil establishment, also mobilized. The situation this morning reflects the optimism displayed by Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday evening. Invited on France 2 in the new political program L’Evènement, the Head of State had planned a return to normal “in the course of the coming week”, calling the CGT and the management of TotalEnergies “to responsibility”. . Apparently he was not heard. In all, six of the seven refineries in France are therefore once again shut down. The situation is becoming more complicated again for motorists looking for gasoline, as tensions are growing at the pump.
According to an Elabe* poll for BFMTV, 21% of French people say that it is impossible for them to find fuel at the pump and 43% that they have trouble refueling. At the local level, it is particularly the inhabitants of the North-East and South-East who are the most affected, respectively at 80% and 70%. Judging that the current situation is due to the behavior of certain motorists, the French people questioned are harsh towards the government, since 79% think that the Executive is not up to the task and is not managing the situation properly.
These difficulties at service stations will continue in the coming days, with holiday departures. Indeed, the school holidays of All Saints are approaching and many motorists will need fuel to get around… Will there be enough for everyone in ten days? Asked about this by BFMTV, two professionals in the sector are not optimistic. For them, the situation will not be back to normal by then and one of them even mentions a deadline at the beginning of November… Update on this scenario.
*Survey based on a sample of 1,000 people representative of residents of mainland France aged 18 and over. Interview by Internet from October 11 to 12, 2022.