Europe

French workers stage fourth day of strikes over pay

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Refinery workers from French oil and gas company, Total, have staged a fourth day of strike in protest against cuts to annual pay, bringing production in two factories to a near-halt.

Workers led by the CGT union continued their strike on Monday, leading to a gradual shut down of gasoline-production units at the Gonfreville and La Mede plants, union officials said.

“Negotiations with management are still blocked” and 70-percent of workers at the Gonfreville factory are on strike, the union added.
The walkout has been staged since Friday over a row with management regarding annual wage negotiations.

The CGT union has so far rejected Total’s offer of up to a 1.5 percent increase in wages.

However, representatives from two different unions including the more moderate CFDT union said they will put the multinational oil conglomerate’s offer to vote before announcing a decision.

“We will vote early afternoon on whether or not to accept the management’s proposal. We are consulting our teams, but the trend seems to be for an agreement,” a CFDT co-coordinator said.

Total requires the endorsement of two different union organizations for approval of a deal. One union, the CGC, has already said it would sign the deal with management, leaving the CGT isolated in its action.

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