A strike paralyzing France’s oil refineries is developing into a national crisis, days after a state order this Tuesday commanding an end to the over two-week long work stoppage. Five of seven French refineries were offline or affected by the strike as of Thursday. Nearly one-third of the country’s gas stations have faced difficulties resupplying or have exhausted their stocks — a result of cuts in distribution and panic buying in some areas. First concentrated in gas stations in the northern regions of France, the shortages have since spread, disrupting commuting motorists in growing swaths of the country as the state dips into strategic reserves to bolster energy flows.

The strike movement was launched on September 27 by the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT), seeking to strengthen employees bargaining hands in the lead-up to annual salary negotiations originally scheduled for mid-November. Primarily involving refinery specialists at oil processing sites, the stoppages at their peak brought six refinery sites to a halt: four facilities owned by the French oil major TotalEnergies, and two locations controlled by Esso, Exxon-Mobil’s subsidiary.

The strikes pose a major problem for Emmanuel Macron’s government, on edge over any new disturbances to an already strained energy market and cautiously watching any runaway demands spurred on by the rising cost of living. In reaction to the government’s contentious requestion order, which will see striking employees summoned by prefects to resume work, the CGT is looking to extend the strike movement to the entirety of the energy sector and beyond. At the behest of the CGT and three other unions, a cross-sectoral strike is scheduled for Tuesday, October 18.