Gas worker strike in France leads to gasoline shortage.

 

Striking workers start a fire. The Guardian/Reuters.

A gas worker strike in France has lead to a major gasoline shortage. The Guardian. Workers for Exxon Mobil and TotalEnergies are being led by their left wing unions, demanding higher wages. The workers argue that the companies need to raise wages due to higher costs and the fact that they are making a massive amount of money due to higher fuel costs. Three refineries have been blockaded, as well as a fuel depot. The strike have lead to fuel shortages and long lines at gas stations. Formal negotiations are ongoing between the workers and fuel companies. 

My Comment:

This story hasn't gotten much in the way of coverage in western media. But it's a fairly important one given the major impact it is having on France. It also shows what happens when people don't have fuel. Nothing good. The Guardian piece showed how a  man got stabbed for jumping in a fuel line, and if things don't improve that will continue. 

I've got mixed feelings on the strike. I do think that the workers have a point. These oil companies are making record profit and they should share some of that wealth with their workers. After all, if it wasn't for them they wouldn't be making anywhere near as much money. And their strike shows what happens when they don't go to work. 

But I can see the oil companies side of it as well. Energy is a very unstable market, with booms and busts, and I think the energy companies know that an economic downturn is inevitable at this point. Higher wages could be a major liability for them if the economy crashes and demand for fuel collapses. And given the current state of the world, a major recession or even depression seems a lot more likely than continued economic prosperity. 

Regardless, I don't really approve of the way the workers are protesting. They could have simply gone on strike, but they have instead decided to blockade refineries. That's a move that probably does put a lot of pressure on, but it also screws over their countrymen. It's not a good thing when people run out of fuel to run their cars and I wish these workers found a way to protest that didn't involve that. 

I do think that this kind of thing will become more common. Workers are suffering and many of them feel, rightly or wrongly, that their companies are holding back on raising wages. And as prices rise and costs go out of control people are going to demand higher wages. Sometimes they will get it and sometimes they won't and then there will be these kinds of strikes.