France faced another day of strikes and confrontation on its streets on Thursday as the government grappled to restore fuel supply with senators just a few days away from voting on pension reform.
Trade unions, backed by public support, want President Nicolas Sarkozy and his conservative government to back down on the bill to raise the minimum retirement age by two years.
French fuel imports have hit record highs as the government tries to get around a blockade of France’s largest oil port, Marseille — where 51 oil tankers lie off the coast — and shortages caused by refinery strikes and fuel depot protests.
Police may be deployed to clear access to striking oil refineries, under an order from Sarkozy which allowed them to clear access to fuel depots on Wednesday.
About a quarter of France’s service stations had no fuel on Wednesday, and strikes also stopped work at two of France’s three liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.
With a Senate vote on the reform now expected on Friday at the earliest, unions were ramping up the pressure with a tenth day of refinery strikes, go-slows on main roads by truck drivers and work stoppages at regional airports.
Union leaders were due to meet later on Thursday to agree on their next move.
Opposition senators have been slowing the process by handing in hundreds of amendments to the bill and on Wednesday demanded the debate be suspended and a new round of dialogue opened. The center-right government, which has a majority in both houses of parliament, was seen as unlikely to cave in.
"Seize the moment, be wise and don’t look for conflict," said Jean-Pierre Bel, the Socialist chief in the Senate. "Return to dialogue. It’s still possible to listen to the people."
Mass protests, which drew at least one million people on Tuesday or 3.5 million according to unions, have become the biggest challenge to passing austerity measures and reforms that across Europe are adopting after the economic crisis.
Sarkozy has refused to retreat on the flagship reform of his term aimed at curbing the deficit and reducing debt.
"There is no reason to suspend the debate," said Labour Minister Eric Woerth. "It’s not easy but it’s necessary."
Protests have largely been peaceful except for sporadic episodes of violence in the southeastern city of Lyon and in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where clashes between youths and riot police broke out again on Wednesday.
