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The State, the main shareholder, requires EDF to sell more cheap electricity to its competitors so that they do not increase their customers’ bills too much. The EDF inter-union calls for a strike on January 26.
Unions and management in unison denounce the measure. CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy in an internal letter to the executives of his group confides that he fought a lot this issue experienced as a “ real shock ».
The group will have to sell off up to 40% of its electricity production in 2022. This will heavily burden its revenues, certainly up to 8 billion euros according to the group.
A shock also for the employees. Whose four main unions are jointly calling for a strike on January 26. They denounce in a joint press release the organized destruction of EDF for the benefit of competition. ” The situation is serious, the attack is meaningful and the response must be collective », Estimate FO-Energie et Mines.
Several unions doubt that competitors actually pass on the effects of the measure on prices to consumers. They denounce a measure that does not address the real causes of the problem of price control, as explained by Philippe Page Le Mérour, CGT secretary of the EDF Works Social Committee.
We are told that there is an unsustainable spike in electricity prices for the bills. It’s a reality. Why ? Because we are hitched to the European electricity market whose prices are driven up […] Today’s electricity bill in France should be much lower than what is announced by the ministry. So we are proposing that we resume energy independence and that EDF employees work for their fellow citizens, for the public electricity service, for the country’s companies and not for the competition.
Philippe Page Le Mérour, CGT secretary of the EDF Works Social Committee
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“Political Issues”
FO-Energie and Mines also point to political issues in the context of the next presidential campaign “. Finally, heavily indebted EDF (at 41 billion euros this year) might need a major capital increase as feared by analysts.
In recent declarations, the Minister for Energy Transition Barbara Pompili has also affirmed that the government “ would work alongside EDF to help it overcome this difficulty ».
Some sites have preceded the call of January 26 and have been on strike since Monday, in this case thermal power plants, running on gas and fuel oil.
► To read also: France: EDF loses 400 million by speculating on the markets
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