TotalFinaElf is the result of the largest industrial merge ever in France, between the two French oil companies (TotalFina and Elf-Aquitaine). The whole chain is present, from research to distribution. TotalFinaElf operates throughout the world, from Africa and North Sea (traditional Elf-Aquitane acreage) to Asia, South America and the Middle East (former TotalFina acreage). About 130,000 people work for the group.

CGT (Confédération Générale du Travail) is the largest union in France. It was created the first in 1895, and remained the single national union until 1919. After World War Two, several other unions appeared on a political or categorical basis. CGT was by tradition stronger amongst blue collars, and the case of ELF typifies a recent evolution. In 1999, a long and hard strike opposed Elf Exploration-Production workers to the management who intended to fire more than 1,200 people. All unions were implied in the strike, the CGT deeper than any. The strike resulted in a full success, no job loss, and even the strikers were paid. A large part of this success was credited to the CGT, although all unions and a lot of workers not implied in any union at all actually contributed.

This site was created and maintained by CGT workers of the upstream sector of the new company TotalFinaElf. It collects their texts and analysis, in an attempt to popularize their opinions.

The dominant topic for the time being in the new company is the merge and its consequences. About 800 jobs were lost at Elf Exploration-Production at the beginning of the year through early retirement of people that were not replaced. A new loss of about 400 is scheduled trough "voluntary" dismissal. For all those who will stay, the question will be how to do the work…. On another side, working conditions were quite different in TotalFina and in Elf-Aquitaine, and it is unlikely that such a difference may persist. Our objective is obviously to get for all workers the best conditions offered by each former company, more so in the flourishing conditions now prevalent on the oil market. Money should go back to those who create! This is not however what the management seems to have in mind…