"We're in the dark": Esso employees are worried about an opaque takeover and are demanding guarantees

On May 28, the American oil giant announced that it had entered into exclusive negotiations with the Canadian group North Atlantic for the sale of its operations in France. These negotiations include the Paris headquarters of Esso, the French subsidiary of ExxonMobil, and the Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon refinery in Seine-Maritime, the group's last remaining production facility in the country, for a total of 1,350 employees.

The American oil company had already made its mark with the sale of the Fos-sur-Mer refinery in 2024 , deemed too unprofitable for the multinational, to the Rhône Énergies group. " The company has been closing refineries in Europe for several years, and we suspected that the objective was to reduce its workforce in France," laments Christophe Aubert, CGT coordinator at ExxonMobil.

While the planned social consultation with the unions is expected to end in September, the CGT says it is in the dark . While the acquisition is unlikely to threaten jobs, it raises concerns about the financial strength of the Canadian buyer. " North Atlantic is not a major player in the oil industry; the Gravenchon refinery would become, by far, their largest production site ," analyzes Christophe Aubert. "The question is: will they be financially strong enough to make the necessary investments, particularly in terms of ecological transition ? "

In the sector, this acquisition by a still little-known competitor, absent from the European market, came as a surprise. " Everyone was surprised. Especially because Exxon received several offers ," confided Thierry Defresne, CGT secretary at the TotalEnergies European Works Council. "With this type of player, there is always the question of a takeover to make a quick profit. The fear is the return of a Pétroplus scenario ," continues the union representative, referring to the sudden closure in 2013 of the Petit-Couronne refinery in Seine-Maritime, bought by an investment fund unable to raise the funds necessary to operate the site; 470 employees were laid off.

North Atlantic is therefore attempting to reassure. " At this stage, all guarantees have been provided for the acquisition. The group is little known in France but has been operating in Canada for over forty years, with a desire to expand and acquire assets ," one of its spokespersons in France, Hugues Boëton, told L'Humanité.

The Canadian oil company insists on its commitment not to cut any jobs, but also to think bigger. " The Gravenchon refinery has high-quality teams with strong expertise. The goal is to retain the current workforce and management and to grow the project thereafter," continues Hugues Boëton. "The group's goal is to expand, particularly in Europe. The sale of Esso in France was a very good opportunity in this desire to grow ."

For the CGT, words are not enough. Involved in the consultations, the union is demanding concrete guarantees before the sale, including the freezing of certain Esso financial reserves to ensure the payment of pensions and salaries to employees who have left as part of an initial redundancy plan launched in 2024.

Céline Brulin and Jean-Paul Lecoq , respectively a senator and a Communist MP for Seine-Maritime, are working to obtain guarantees from the state. " Exxon must continue to supply crude oil to the refinery and confirm its commitments to the PSE. And North Atlantic must commit to employment and the financial trajectory. The state must play a regulatory role to avoid the risk of the two companies passing the buck ," explains Céline Brulin. While the elected officials were due to meet with Marc Ferracci, Minister of Industry , silence is still in place from the government.

The other point of alert concerns the decontamination of the sites. Having operated the Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon refinery since the 1930s, ExxonMobil could leave without having to account for its discharges for more than ninety years. " A company that has been present for so long cannot leave the decontamination to the responsibility of its eventual successors without worrying about it," warns Céline Brulin . "Especially a group with the financial strength of Exxon, which has benefited from the infrastructure of an entire territory and from public aid ."

For several years, ExxonMobil has been moving away from European markets to focus on more profitable markets. " ExxonMobil believes that there are too many constraints in Europe and that the return on investment is no longer up to par ," continues Christophe Aubert. "They are recentralizing their activity mainly in the United States, while maintaining their assets in Asia ." A strategy that is not going down well with employees when we know that ExxonMobil is one of the most profitable companies in the world. In 2024, the American giant reached more than $33 billion in profits, more than double that of TotalEnergies ($15.8 billion).

Seine-Maritime has already paid the price for this gradual disengagement. And that was just over a year ago. In April 2024, the American oil company announced the closure of its chemical operations at the Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon site . The result: more than 600 employees out of work. "It was an earthquake in the sector. With all the partner companies and subcontractors, several thousand jobs revolved around Exxon's chemical operations," says Céline Brulin.

Today, fears surrounding employment have not been dispelled. "As soon as the chemical industry ceased operations, everyone was very worried about petrochemicals, because everything is closely linked," the senator continues. The concern is all the greater as the department is experiencing a wave of redundancy plans. The Lubrizol factory in Rouen , a nickel refinery in Sandouville, and a glass factory in Le Havre...

All have announced budget cuts and layoffs. " We have a situation that completely contradicts the government's reindustrialization rhetoric ," worries Céline Brulin. "Historic activities are affected. Their disappearance could cause serious damage ." Faced with these numerous gray areas, politicians and unions hope to be able to count on the buyer to ensure the continuity of the Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine refinery.