(VOVworld) - France has started using its strategic oil reserves to counter fuel shortages caused by union-led refinery blockades to protest the government’s labor law reforms.

Trade unionists erect a burning barricade to block the entrance of a refinery before being dislodged by French police, in Douchy-les-Mines, France on May 25, 2016 (photo: EPA)

Francis Duseux, President of the Union Francaise des Industries Petrolieres (UFIP), said if the situation remains very tense, the reserves will be enough for three months. France has released its strategic fuel reserves for the first time in six years.

Head of the CGT union vowed that his organization will continue the blockade until the legislation is withdrawn. CGT workers recently voted for a 24-hour strike at the Nogent-sur-Seine nuclear plant southeast of Paris.