Paris Sanitation Union Ends Strike; Workers Begin to Clear Tons of Garbage

People walk past not collected garbage cans next to the Senate in Paris on March 12, 2023. Michel Euler/AP Photo

Sanitation workers in Paris who have been on a garbage collection strike for 23 days amid a wave of protests across France began returning to work on March 29, union leaders announced.

The union representing sanitation workers, CGT-FTDNEEA, stated that the three-week-long strike would be “suspended,” according to a statement translated by local media.

The strikes, which began on March 6 in opposition to French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to boost the retirement age by two years, resulted in mountains of trash piling up along the streets of the French capital, some of which have reached up to 10,000 tons.

Some members of the sanitation union protested the measure by blocking three major garbage incinerators that serve the city, as well as garbage truck depots.

Many of the sanitation workers returning to work will largely be helping with the cleanup efforts.

“We have almost no more strikers. This is why we are suspending our strike and blockade movement,” the union stated. “We need to discuss again with the agents of the waste and sanitation sector of the City of Paris in order to go back to the strike stronger because we have almost no more strikers.”

While employees are returning to work, the union noted that “the fight is not over” and that Macron and Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne must “withdraw this reform and come to the negotiating table.”

“See you soon to the employees still on strike and in struggle, [because] we are going to reappear,” the union stated.

Widespread protests have broken out across France in recent months amid the government’s plan to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62. The demonstrations turned increasingly violent in March after Macron’s government invoked special constitutional power that allowed him to push through the controversial pension reforms.

Macron Government Survives ‘No Confidence’ Vote

The triggering of Article 49.3—which allows the government to enact a bill without a vote by lawmakers—was done because of concerns regarding the outcome of a vote on the matter in the National Assembly.

Macron has said that the changes to the retirement age are necessary to make the French economy more competitive and financially stable amid an aging population.

“The aim is to balance the accounts without raising taxes or cutting pensions. Various options are on the table, but all include raising the retirement age,” government spokesman Olivier Véran told journalists in January.

The president’s plan would raise the minimum age by two years gradually, increasing by three months every year, beginning in September until it reaches 64 in 2030. The plan also would require 43 years of work to earn a full pension at 64, otherwise, workers would still have to wait until they turn 67.

Most sanitation workers in France retire earlier than most people at the age of 57 because of the laborious nature of their work, although many work longer to increase their pension. Under Macron’s new plan, their retirement age would be pushed to 59.

However, the plan, as well as the use of constitutional power, has sparked backlash across the country, while opposition lawmakers have demanded the government step down. Despite the outrage, Macron’s government managed to narrowly survive a no-confidence vote in the French parliament on March 20, garnering 278 of the 287 votes needed to pass.

Macron’s pension reform bill will still need to be reviewed by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law and is likely to face more opposition as further strikes are planned by unions on April 6.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.