Total SA strike may spread to other French refineries, workers warn

1 6 DAY S A N D C O U N T I N G . . .

Workers at Total SA’s largest French refinery said a strike that has halted production for 16 days will continue until at least Oct. 14 and may spread to Total’s remaining five French refineries. “Management has refused all negotiations,” Philippe Saunier, a representative of the Confederation Generale du Travail union, said yesterday. Union members unanimously voted yesterday to continue the protest after agreeing on Oct. 7 to drop a demand to raise their monthly salaries by ¤200 ( US$ 241). The protest slowed production as of Sept. 20 and shut the plant in Normandy on Sept. 26. The refinery normally processes 328,000 barrels of crude a day, or 14% of Total’s daily output of 2.28 million barrels.