Trade unions at TotalEnergies’ refinery in Antwerp have called off their planned 18 May strike after a late-night conciliation proposal was reached during lengthy negotiations on Friday.
Workers and staff of the French energy giant will vote on the proposal in the coming days, as confirmed in a statement by unions ACV and ABVV on Saturday.
Tensions had been brewing for some time between TotalEnergies’ management and unions, including over pension disputes. Workers were also angered by reports that the company had purchased large amounts of crude oil ahead of a maritime blockade in the Persian Gulf and sold it at what unions described as “huge profits.”
The unions have demanded a share of those profits. However, according to Levi Sollie of the socialist union ABVV, the company has argued that the profits were not recorded in Antwerp and thus cannot be redistributed locally.
The workers had planned to halt operations at the refinery from 18 to 22 May. For now, this action has been suspended following the emergence of the conciliation proposal.
