Total Plans to Restart France's Donges Refinery
French oil and gas firm Total said on Thursday it plans to restart its 220,000 barrels-per-day Donges refinery after 94 percent of the plant's workers voted to resume work.
Refinery workers with the hardline CGT trade union last week joined nationwide strikes against plans by the French government to reform labour laws, leading to a temporary production shut-down at Donges and three other Total refineries in France.
Total began shutting down units at the refinery on May 21. The CGT last week called for an unlimited strike at the refinery, which employs 650 people, but some workers complained they were not consulted.
"The result is unambiguous, 94 percent of voted to resume work at the Donges refinery," the company's management said.
Voting was held on Wednesday and Thursday.
"The next step is to engage with personnel in order to restart the refinery without delay," Total said.
It takes about three to four days to restart a refinery.
A CGT union official rejected the result of the vote, saying it was organised by Total's management to pressure striking workers to return to work.
"For us, the strike will continue, the refinery will not restart," Thierry Defrense, a CGT union delegate told Reuters, adding Total was impeding on the union's right to strike.
Production at four of Total's five refineries in France has been halted by the strikes, which have caused fuel supply disruptions and shortages at gas stations.
Total said a similar two-week strike at the refineries in 2013 cost the company about 30 million euros ($33.47 million).
($1 = 0.8963 euros)
(Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Geert De Clercq)
