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STRIKES

IN IMAGES: Rubbish piles up in streets of Paris as strike continues

Thousands of tonnes of rubbish remained on the streets of Paris on Monday, as garbage collectors pushed forward into an eighth day of strike action in protest against proposed pension reform.

Published: 13 March 2023 12:16 CET
IN IMAGES: Rubbish piles up in streets of Paris as strike continues
Household waste containers in a street of Paris that have been piling up since collectors went on strike against the French government's proposed pensions reform (Photo by Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP)

Monday marked the eighth day of the garbage workers’ strike against the pension reform, as mounds of garbage remained scattered along sidewalks across Paris and some other parts of the country.

After just one week of the strike action, there were at least 5,400 tonnes of uncollected rubbish on the sidewalks of the capital, according to an assessment by the Paris City Hall on Sunday.

Strike action has mostly hit France’s capital, but garbage collectors in other parts of the country, such as Rennes, have also walked out.

“What will stop the strike is that Emmanuel Macron withdraws his reform. If this is the case, then Paris will become clean very quickly. We know how to do that”, Régis Vieceli, the head of the CGT branch representing garbage workers, told French daily Le Parisien. 

On Monday, unions called for strike action to continue until at least Wednesday, March 15th, which is the same day that the country’s eight largest union federations have called for another day of mass strikes and demos.

Workers will then vote to decide whether to continue rolling strike action.

READ MORE: Calendar: The latest French pension strike dates to remember 

As of Monday, the city’s main three incineration plants – located in Ivry-sur-Seine (shown in the image below), Issy-les-Moulineaux and Saint-Ouen – were still at a standstill. 

The capital’s household waste agency Syctom (Syndicat mixte central de traitement des ordures ménagères) told AFP that 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.

Strike action has hit about half of Paris’ districts, such as the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 20th arrondissements.

It is publicly employed garbage workers (Ville de Paris in the map below) – responsible for waste collection across half of the city – who have walked out.

The other half of the districts, including the 7th arrondisement as shown in the image below, are managed by private service providers.

The CGT union representing garbage collectors and drivers told AFP that workers in this sector 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 told AFP.

READ MORE: What next for France’s controversial pension reform bill?

Reactions from politicians 

Several left-wing politicians have taken to social media to support the garbage collectors’ strike, with some members of the France Unbowed party have mobilised to offer €20,000 in support for the employees’ strike fund.

Meanwhile those on the opposite side of the political spectrum have begun calling on Paris’ mayor, Anne Hidalgo, to step in.

The mayor of Paris 17th arrondisement and member of the centre-right Les Republicains party, Geoffroy Boulard, wrote a letter to Hidalgo asking that the district be allowed to use a private garbage collection provider.

Others, like Rachida Dati, the mayor of Paris 7th district, have called on Hidalgo to allow for “an integration of private companies” to support and ensure minimum services during strikes. 

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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

The Paris Metro and RER stations that will close during the Olympics

If you're in Paris over the summer you may need to adapt your travel plans, as some Metro and RER stations will close during the Games.

Published: 26 April 2024 16:55 CEST
The Paris Metro and RER stations that will close during the Olympics

Paris Police Prefect Laurent Nuñez on Friday unveiled security measures for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games – including public transport changes.

Opening ceremony

Most of the transport disruption is linked to the ambitious opening ceremony on July 26th – with closures starting in the days leading up to the ceremony and stations re-opening either after the ceremony ends on Friday night or on the following Saturday morning.

These closures affect the ‘protection perimeter’ or the enhanced security zone along the riverbanks that form the route of the opening ceremony.

“All Metro stations leading into the protection perimeter will be closed from July 18th”, Nuñez revealed in a press conference devoted to the police and military arrangements in place for the grand ceremony.

“If you set up a watertight perimeter, but allow people to take the Metro and go back up in the middle of this perimeter, it’s no longer watertight,” he added. 

READ ALSO How to check for Paris Olympics disruption in your area

With the exception of Saint-Michel on the RER C line, all Metro and RER stations within the anti-terrorist protection perimeter will be closed eight days before the event, during which time authorities will be clearing the river, until after the opening ceremony on the Seine.

The various closures will have no impact on the operation of the lines, which will continue to run, as the Paris Police Prefect emphasised, they just won’t stop at those particular stations.

The 15 stations that will be closed are:

  • Alma Marceau (line 9)
  • Champs-Élysées Clémenceau (lines 1 and 13)
  • Cité (4)
  • Concorde (1, 8, 12)
  • Iéna (9)
  • Javel (10)
  • Passy (6)
  • Quai de la Râpée (5)
  • Trocadéro (6, 9)
  • Tuileries (1)
  • Champs-Élysées Clémenceau (RER C)
  • Musée d’Orsay (RER C)
  • Pont de l’Alma (RER C)
  • Trains on Line 7 will pass under the Seine without passengers between Châtelet (including line 11), Pont Marie, Pont Neuf and Sully Morland stations.

Buses are also affected.

“On the day of the ceremony, no buses will be allowed to circulate within the perimeter,” the Préfecture de Police said.

Buses will still run, but vehicles will be rerouted to avoid the area.

Rest of the Games period

Once the ceremony is over, most services will return to normal.

However some stations will remain closed for the duration of the Games – mainly those that are located within or next to competition venues.

Concorde station will be closed to users of line 1 and 8 from June 17th to September 21st and line 12 from May 17th to September 21st, due to its proximity to the site dedicated to urban sports. 

READ ALSO Factcheck: Which areas will be closed in Paris during the Olympics?

Tuileries, served by line 1, will be closed from June 17th to September 21st.

Finally, on lines 1 and 13, Champs-Élysées-Clémenceau will be closed from July 1st to September 21st.

Tramway stations will also be affected by the closures.

Starting with Porte d’Issy (T2) and Porte de Versailles (T2, T3a) tram stations will be closed from July 25th to August 11th and from August 29th to September 7th.

The Colette Besson station on the T3b line will also be closed from July 27th to August 10th, and again from August 29th to September 8th.

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