Communiqué :
“While many large companies are raking in significant profits, these profits are not reflected in ongoing wage negotiations. At TotalÉnergies, superprofit does not rhyme with sharing wealth with workers.
The strike by TotalÉnergie employees is not a whim of the wealthy! The crisis intensifies around the issue of wages. For the past few days, false information has discredited the strike by TotalÉnergies employees, leading to the belief that it is a movement of a privileged few who are highly paid.
Let us restore the chronology and the exactness of the facts. The first strikes began on September 29, when TotalÉnergies announced record profits: 5.7 billion dollars for the second quarter, i.e. 2 times more than last year (2.2 billion) at the same time, following 9 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2022!
At the same time, the oil group provides for the payment of an exceptional interim dividend of 2.62 billion euros to its shareholders. In 2021, the year in which the group earned 18.1 billion dollars, CEO Patrick Pouyanné increased by 52%, from 3.9 to 5.9 million euros.
Let’s take the money where it is – As of the end of September, workers are demanding an early reopening of the annual binding negotiations (NAO). A tense situation, which comes following the government’s refusal to create a tax on profits and dividends paid to shareholders. Employees are only demanding a fairer distribution of income from work, from their work!
Salaries too low, galloping inflation – The salary agreement of October 3, 2022 in the Oil branch (which the CGT did not sign) shows that the first coefficients (130 to 200) are lower than the minimum wage.
✦ A refinery operator (coefficient between 170 and 215) starts at minimum wage;
✦ the chief operators (coefficient between 310 and 340) have a gross monthly salary of 2,995.92 euros.
We are far from the figure of 5,000 euros gross on average announced by the management of TotalEnergies, which speaks of an average in a sector where the pay gap between employees and managers is very significant. And inflation, forecast around 6% for 2022, increases the difficulties of workers.
The government stokes the fire – The government, for its part, prefers to assert a position of authority over the strikers, in particular by ordering the requisition of certain employees, rather than putting pressure on the group to start negotiations. The CGT filed a summary on the requisitions.
However, the government has two levers that it does not use to settle the issue of wages for all:
✦ legislate to automatically raise the minima according to the increase in the minimum wage
✦ introduce a sliding salary scale (as in Belgium), which would allow all salaries to increase at the same time as the minimum wage, two demands made by the CGT.
For all these reasons, Wednesday evening, the strike was renewed at TotalEnergies and at EssoExxonMobil. Almost everywhere in France, workers are revolting and demanding worthy wage negotiations, at least at the height of inflation. The CGT calls on employees to respond with an interprofessional strike on Tuesday, October 18.
At Montceau les Mines meet at 10:00 am in front of the Town Hall and call to join the rally in Chalon in the followingnoon by carpooling – departure at 1:00 pm from the car park at the Embarcadère. »
