Workers at hundreds of French service stations on strike

A strike by service station workers is set to block hundreds of TotalEnergies pumps across France today (April 17). Staff are protesting that price rises to the fuel they sell have made it too expensive for them to afford.

Around 200 service stations are affected, primarily on autoroutes and around the capital Île-de-France region, where spring school holidays start tomorrow.

Drivers will find it difficult, if not impossible, to fill up their vehicles at stations that are blocked.

Employees at Argedis, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, launched the strike to demand better assistance with rising fuel costs, and are backed by the CGT union. 

Fuel costs have risen significantly since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, diesel in particular, which reached a record price of €2.398 per litre last Thursday (April 9). 

This is more than 60c higher than the start of the conflict, while petrol prices have risen by 20c - 40c per litre depending on the type.

Increase in work demands, rising fuel costs

“Fuel has become very expensive, so we asked Total for assistance, which they refused. We tried to negotiate, but it was no use, so we're going on strike,” a CGT representative told AFP. 

Employees cite a significant increase in working demands due to the TotalEnergies fuel cap, which has seen drivers flock to the company’s service stations. The fuel giant has set a limit of €2.25 per litre on diesel and €1.99 per litre on petrol until April 30.

“For some employees, fuel costs have now reached €400 per month, on a net salary of €1,600,” said the CGT union about the strike, calling it ‘financially untenable’.

Around 80% of Argedis employees are facing higher fuel costs, it said.

In the last round of negotiations, TotalEnergies offered a fuel bonus of €15 - €40 for employees, based on travel distance, but this was deemed insufficient by the union. 

Argedis employees, as workers at a subsidiary, are not eligible for the benefits package (socle social commun) that staff working directly for the energy giant receive.

Are further strikes planned? 

As of April 17, the strikes are limited to employees under the Argedis banner, and are not scheduled to continue. 

However, the action does point to rising anger in the sector by employees who feel they are impacted in several ways by the fuel crisis. 

The energy giant earned around €1 billion in profits during the first month of the conflict, reports public service broadcaster Radio France.

TotalEnergies manages around 3,300 service stations around France and is expected to see higher than usual traffic for at least another week due to its fuel cap.

Further strikes in the sector are therefore possible, but additional strike notices have not been raised by unions representing service station workers.

However, a risk of unions blocking refineries or ports and preventing fuel distribution across France seems unlikely. 

This measure, seen during wider general protests in France such as the anti-pension reform strikes in 2023, are particularly disruptive and can quickly lead to fuel shortages. 

Unions know however that with a fuel crisis in full swing, any further action that would raise prices is likely to lose them public support for the action. 

Logistics sector unions were striking across France over a perceived lack of aid during the crisis, but following renewed agreements with the government have called off action since the start of April. 

While unions remain primed to strike once more if aid is not given, this seems unlikely. 

The FDSEA farming union is calling on members in Orne (Normandy) to protest today over high agricultural diesel (gazole non-routier) prices, and is demanding a freeze on the fuel price. 

A protest will take place outside Alençon town hall at 11:30.