French Truck Drivers Block Traffic Around Two Total Refineries

Striking truck drivers blocked traffic around Total's Grandpuits and Donges refineries since Wednesday morning, preventing oil product deliveries, the French oil major said.

The 101,000 barrel per day Grandpuits refinery is the Total's smallest, but it supplies the Paris region's petrol stations, while the 219,000-bpd Donges refinery is near Nantes on the Atlantic coast.

"There is no impact at the pump for our clients," a spokesman for Total told Reuters. "We are reorganising our supply scheme for our stations as a consequence."

Two oil depots, the DPCO site near Dunkirk and another in Valenciennes in the north of the country were also blocked by the truck drivers, he said.

Truck drivers have been locked in a dispute over wages for about 10 days. It remained unclear how long the protest would last.

"Mobilisation is bigger than expected," said Fabian Tosolini, spokesman for the CFDT Transport union, adding that about 1,000 workers took part in the protest. Unions are asking for a 5 percent salary increase, while employers have proposed a 1-2 percent raise.

Reporting by Michel Rose