PARIS (Reuters) -Workers began a three-day strike over pay at Belgian gas terminal operator Fluxys’ Dunkirk liquefied natural gas terminal late on Monday evening, part of a broader action in the power and gas sector focused on pensions and wages.
The Dunkirk LNG terminal is the second largest in continental Europe and the only terminal directly connected to two separate markets – Belgium and France – accounting for about 20% of both countries’ annual gas consumption.
The flow rate of the terminal has been affected, a representative of the CGT union, who did not wish to be named, said on Tuesday. He did not have precise figures for the impact.
Fluxys denied that the flow rate has been impacted at the site.
“There is some minor impact on some small preventive maintenance jobs but this is without any impact on operational activities,” a Fluxys spokesperson said.
The strike is currently having no impact on the regasification and ship unloading operations, or the truck loading activities of the terminal, the spokesperson added.
The strike is initially planned to last three days as workers demand higher pay and a decrease to the national energy tax, the representative for the hardline CGT union said.
After the three days, the unions will hold a workers’ council to determine whether to end or prolong the strike.
Unions in the French power sector are also striking at electric utility EDF’s facilities, and have reduced hydroelectric power supply by 1.4 GW, but nuclear power supply remains unaffected.
(Reporting by Forrest CrellinEditing by Bernadette Baum, Susan Fenton and Frances Kerry)
