Total pledges no French plant closures - union

The company is instead planning to sell its UK refinery, industry sources said.

The dispute in France has closed all six of Total's refineries and triggered intervention by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Strikes will continue, however, until the government organises a meeting to discuss the future of the industry, CGT union representative Charles Foulard said.

A Total official declined to comment beyond saying that the group had made some proposals and that progress has been made.

"We have presented a text with eight proposals on which the two sides will continue to work. The progress is significant," he said.

Sarkozy had asked Total Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie for pledges not to shut refineries and then talks between company management and unions went ahead to try to end a seven-day strike that has hit petrol supply in France.

OUTPUT HALTED

All Total's French refineries had halted output in protest at plans by the company to close its Dunkirk plant as it aims to cut production capacity by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2011.

The Lindsey refinery in Britain has capacity of about 223,000 bpd.