<article><p class="lead">A workers' strike at TotalEnergies' 246,900 b/d Gonfreville refinery in France has ended after more than a month.</p><p>Workers belonging to the CGT union voted to return to work at the plant near Le Havre on the north coast, having come out on strike over wages <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2374766">at the end of September</a>. This leaves only one of France's six refineries still affected by industrial action, TotalEnergies' 109,300 b/d Feyzin, near Lyon.</p><p>At one stage of the strikes across the French downstream sector in October <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2379437">five of the six halted operations</a>, shutting in 944,200 b/d of capacity. Only the 207,100 b/d Lavera refinery belonging to UK-Chinese refiner Petroineos remained open. The strikes also stopped petrochemical units belonging to TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil and at the former's main Flanders depot and at its 500,000 t/yr hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) unit at La Mede, on the southern coast. </p><p>The strikes led to fuel shortages at service stations and <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2380205">significant stock draws</a>, especially of middle distillates. This <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2386578">exacerbated volatility in prices</a> in a diesel market already preparing to shut out Russian imports from the start of February.</p><p>Production at ExxonMobil's 133,000 b/d Fos and 236,000 b/d Port Jerome plant <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2385344">should resume imminently</a>.</p><p class="bylines">By Adam Porter</p></article>
