France Issues Emergency Decree Ordering Strikers Back to Work at Refinery

Riot police took control of the entrance to the Grandpuits oil refinery, clearing pickets and a barricade of burning tyres, shortly after union leaders told reporters they had been served with the legal notice.

This order, known in France as a "requisition", can be issued by French authorities when they believe a strike poses a threat to public order. It compels strikers to return to work, under threat of prosecution.

For two months France has been in the grip of a wave of protests against Nicolas Sarkozy's bid to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 and set the latest threshold for full pension payments at 67.

All of France's 12 oil refineries have been disrupted by strikes, and on Friday around one in five petrol stations had run out of fuel, according to the environment and transport minister.'

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