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Total chief sees no fuel shortage soon

23 February 2010 00:56 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The head of French oil giant Total SA said on Monday fuel supplies in France were not a problem "for the time being" and reiterated that the company would not cut jobs as part its plan to change operations at its Dunkirk refinery, APA reports quoting Reuters.
"What is for sure is there will be no people hurt in this decision we make," Total Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie told reporters at a briefing in New York.
But de Margerie stuck to the company’s stance that refinery capacity needed to be reduced to protect the industry from a steep decline in profit margins.
"Being a leader we have to definitely send a message ... that we need to keep these activities sustainable for the long term," de Margerie said.
Workers at Total’s French refineries have sought to extend a six-day strike to other refineries in the country after talks broke down on Sunday between Total and workers protesting against the possible closure of the company’s Dunkirk refinery in northern France.
That has raised fears that the country could begin to run short of fuel, and French petroleum industry body UFIP said on Monday France had around 7 days of fuel supply left before the country faced a shortage.
"For the time being there is no problem," de Margerie said.
"My priority is to stop this conflict and certainly not use the fear of consumers to put pressure on what has to be solved between people who have to live together," he added.