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Rubbish piles up in strike-bound Paris

Thousands of tonnes of garbage have piled up on streets across the French capital after a week of strike action by dustbin collectors against government pension reforms, city hall said Sunday.

Published: 12 March 2023 18:31 CET
Rubbish collectors of the Paris municipality cleaning service
Rubbish collectors of the Paris municipality cleaning service "Proprete de Paris" gather in front of Ivry incinerator factory, in Ivry on March 6, 2023, ahead of the massive strikes from March 7 against the French government's proposed pension reform, with unions promising to bring the country "to a standstill". Photo: Thomas SAMSON / AFP

Three incineration plants outside the capital have been hit by the work stoppages that have left entire pavements covered in black bags and overflowing bins.

The capital’s household waste agency Syctom said it has been re-routing dustbin lorries to other storage and treatment sites in the region and has yet to resort to calling in the police.

City hall employees have for the last week been picking up rubbish in just half of Paris’s districts. The strike has hit some of the most exclusive areas including the 5th, 6th and 16th arrondissements.

Other districts are served by private firms which have not gone on strike.

According to the hard-left CGT union, refuse collectors and drivers can currently retire from 57 years of age, but would face another two years of work under the reform plans which still grant early retirement for those who faced tough working conditions.

Life expectancy for the garbage workers is 12-17 years below the average for the country as a whole, the CGT says.
 
Out on the streets, 18-year-old student Christophe Mouterde told AFP the dustbin collectors were among “the first victims of this reform… often they have started work young… in a job that’s more difficult than for other people in offices”.
 
Pastry chef Romain Gaia, who works in the 2nd district where bins are not being collected, said, “It’s terrible, there’s rats and mice.”
 
 
But he still offered support for the garbage workers despite the smelly mountains of rubbish nearby.
 
“They are quite right to strike,” said the 36-year-old. “Normally they have no power, but if they stop work they really have (power).”
 
The reform’s headline measure and the cornerstone policy of President Emmanuel Macron’s second term in office is a hike in the general minimum retirement age to 64 from 62, seen by many as unfair to people who start working early.
 
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PARIS

Will rain spoil Paris Olympics opening ceremony?

Paris woke on Friday to a wet and grey day - but will the rain continue and disrupt this evening's spectacular Olympics opening ceremony on the River Seine?

Published: 26 July 2024 11:16 CEST
Will rain spoil Paris Olympics opening ceremony?

In the months before the Olympics a report by a group of Olympians and UK-based academics warned of the dangers of extreme heat at the Paris Games.

But the first weather-related challenge for the organisers is rain – namely will it rain during the opening ceremony on Friday evening, planned as a spectacular open-air event on the River Seine.

The day dawned rainy and cool in the Paris region, with French weather forecaster La Chaîne Météo saying that there is a 70 to 80 percent chance of “moderate to heavy” rain at the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony starting at 7.30pm.

“There is still uncertainty about the trajectory and exact position” of the rainstorm, meteorologist Cyrille Duchesne said in a post on the channel’s website, with “some models having Paris on the edge of this heavy rain, while others… see rainfall of 15-20 millimetres, or 10 days of rain in two or three hours”.

Meanwhile, Météo France wrote in their morning forecast that “the risk of showers during the opening ceremony cannot be ruled out”, while predicting light wind and temperatures near 22C in the evening.

One meteorologist and forecaster, Louis Bodin, told TF1 on Friday morning that “according to several weather models, the cloudy and rainy spell should be behind us by the time of the ceremony, with one or two hours to spare. We’re still within the margin of error, but the most significant part could well be over”.

The 2024 opening ceremony will be the first to not be held in a stadium, and it is expected to involve over 6,000 athletes who will board 85 boats to float down 6km on the River Seine, from Pont d’Austerlitz bridge in the east to the Eiffel Tower.

Meanwhile, up to 300,000 ticket-holders are set to watch from the built stands along the banks of the river.

READ MORE: What we know about the Paris Olympics opening ceremony

What happens if there is rain?

If there is rain, the ceremony is still expected to go ahead.

“The rain won’t spoil the party or the show in any way’, French sport minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra told the radio channel RMC.

“It’s always more pleasant when the weather’s nice, let’s face it. But there will be no impact. It won’t detract from the quality of the show,” she added.

The head of the Olympic organising committee, Tony Estanguet, told France Inter that “the event was designed so that it can be held in the rain (…) It may be a bit different. We will adapt. 

“But some people who are used to filming say that rain also adds an atmosphere that looks great on camera. We’ll see tonight,” he added.

The Olympics boss also told another French radio channel, Bonjour! La Matinale TF1 in a separate interview on Thursday that even if it rains, “on the whole, we’re going to get through it. We’re going to adapt, and it’s going to be a great moment.”

How to watch the ceremony

If you want to stay indoors, you can always watch on TV or online. The opening ceremony will be screened on France TV (France 2, 3 and 4) and the paid channel Eurosport from 7.30pm to 11pm on Friday, July 26th.

You can also watch the ceremony live online via the France TV website.

For those outside of France, you can find the list of TV channels across the world who will show the Olympics and opening ceremony live HERE.

Naturally the French coverage will be in French. If you want to watch with English commentary you can head to France 24 which will be providing some coverage, or watch some of the foreign broadcasters (subject to rights and accessibility) such as the UK’s BBC, Ireland’s RTE or the USA’s NBC.

READ MORE: How to watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics on TV in France

Fan zones 

For those planning to enjoy the ceremony in a fan zone, keep in mind that many in Paris will be outdoor, either in parks, athletic centres or in front of town halls. As such, you may want to pack your rain jacket. You can see the full list of fan zones here.

You can also see an interactive map to find fan zones and other free, celebration areas near you by scrolling down on the Paris.Fr website.

For those looking to avoid the rain, you may consider watching the ceremony in a bar or restaurant. You can find a list of those who plan to screen events HERE.

This includes the popular food court, La Felicita, in the 13th arrondissement, which will offer 1,000 seats for people looking to watch the ceremony.

On top of that, several Paris bars have promised to remain open for 24 hours on Friday-Saturday.

READ MORE: Where to watch the Paris Olympics opening ceremony

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