TotalEnergies accelerates refinery wage talks as fuel supply shrinks
One AmericaJUL 2022
Refinery strikes have choked fuel supplies nationwide and put the safety of the French public at risk as temperatures drop and Europe begins feeling the bite of its sanctions on Russian oil. The French government uses emergency powers sparingly, but in this case, unions forced Macron's hand and left the administration with no option but to force staff back to work for the sake of the country.
Unions are right to call for a 10% raise in wages - oil companies have been reaping exorbitant profits from this energy crisis while workers struggle with a skyrocketing cost of living and rampant inflation. By invoking emergency powers, the government is undermining the fundamental democratic right to cease work.