French petrol supplies hit by labour law strikes
Hundreds of French petrol stations have run dry and the unions say five oil refineries are being blockaded as protesters fight against government labour reforms.
Queues were reported at petrol stations in many areas of France, especially in the north and west, but in Paris too. However, the transport minister said it was wrong to talk of petrol shortages. For the past week, protests have taken place across France after new labour rules were forced through parliament. Prime Minister Manuel Valls invoked special powers under the constitution to avoid a revolt by dozens of Socialist MPs earlier this month. Do French workers really have it easy? Protests as Valls forces labour laws through Violence mars Paris police protest Hollande's last throw of the dice But his decision to bypass parliament infuriated opponents. Last week, two police officers in central Paris narrowly escaped serious injury when their police car was set alight. By Monday morning, the CGT labour union said that five of France's eight oil refineries were out of action, from Martigues near Marseille in the south to Gonfreville-l'Orcher at Le Havre in the north. Union spokesman Emmanuel Lepine said the "aim is not to create shortages, the aim is to secure the withdrawal of the labour law". Police moved in to unblock many of the petrol depots across France which had been blockaded for days and Mr Valls said everyone should be clear that the government would do its utmost to avoid shortages. However, some 1,600 of France's 12,000 petrol stations had either run dry or were running short of supplies by late Monday morning. French petrol industry association UFIP said it had enough supplies but could not distribute them normally. Finance Minister Michel Sapin has condemned the blockade of refineries as illegal. French labour reform bill - main points Busting the myth of France's 35-hour working week