Hundreds of petrol stations faced shortages in France on Saturday as protests over a labour law reform led to a fall in refinery output and blockades that hampered fuel supply and prompted consumer panic, reports Reuters.
France has been hit by a wave of strikes over the past week after President François Hollande's socialist government opted to force the unpopular labor market reforms through the lower house
of parliament without a vote.
Oil workers at Total voted on Friday to shut down output at three refineries, in Donges, Feyzin and Normandy and by Tuesday all three would be totally halted, CGT delegate Thierry Defresne, told Reuters.
The process had already started with French oil industry group UFIP saying Total had shut units at all three refineries.
Deliveries from Total's Grandpuits refinery were blocked by protesters, prompting output to run at reduced flow. The fifth one in La Mede was operating normally, it said, something Defresne denied saying no oil products were coming out it.
In addition, three of Total's nine oil depots were blocked, UFIP said.
The news of fuel shortages and blockades sent drivers rushing to petrol stations to fill their tanks as a precaution.
UFIP said 317 out of Total's 2,200 petrol stations in France had run out of all or some fuels on Saturday. Total runs nearly one petrol station out of five in the country.
Shell and Eni petrol stations were not facing any disruption, UFIP said.