France: Fuel blockades continue despite police intervention

(October 20, 2010)

Fresh blockades by French workers continued Wednesday as senators examined the contentious pension reform bill. The country's fuel crisis worsened as oil workers blocked depots despite police intervention.

More than 3,000 service stations out of nearly 12,500 in France were out of fuel on Wednesday, as trade unions kept up their resistance to a pension reform due for a final vote this week.

President Nicolas Sarkozy sent in police to clear access to barricaded French fuel depots and restore supply. "If this disorder is not ended quickly, the attempt to paralyse the country could have consequences for jobs by disrupting the normal functioning of the economy," he told a cabinet meeting in remarks released by his office. Sarkozy vowed again to push through his pension reform.

On the other hand, strikes halted operations at two of France's three liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. Public utility EDF told Reuters there was no immediate risk of LNG shortages. "We're ready to continue striking every day and go all the way," a CGT union representative near Marseille told Reuters