French gendarmes stand near branches, wood pallettes and tyres after striking workers blocked roads near the oil refinery at Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille, France, May 24, 2016 as France's hardline CGT and FO unions toughen their stance against labour market reforms. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
MARSEILLE/PARIS (Reuters) - France's Socialist government drew battle lines with one of the country's biggest trade union's on Tuesday over labour market reforms as a strike by oil workers forced at least five refineries to halt or slow down operations.
Riot police fired tear gas and water canon to break up a picket line blocking access to Exxon Mobil Corp's refinery outside the southern port city of Marseille, as scores of petrol stations nationwide ran dry of fuel.
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