Guadeloupe Power Outage Stems from Labor Dispute

Guadeloupe, a French Caribbean island, experienced a complete power outage after striking workers seized control of the territory's main power plant, causing an emergency shutdown of its engines. This blackout, affecting over 370,000 residents, resulted from a labor dispute involving the EDF utility and the CGT union over pay issues ongoing since mid-September. The French government and local authorities have intervened, with police securing the site and requisitioning staff to restore electricity, which was gradually coming back by Saturday. The outage severely disrupted daily life, impacting water supply, cell phone service, and emergency services, with residents resorting to generators and stocking up on essentials. Despite efforts to restore power, the situation remains unstable, with no clear timeline for full normalization. The unrest in Guadeloupe is part of broader dissatisfaction in French overseas territories regarding living standards compared to mainland France.