The strike of Parisian garbage collectors and sewer workers is suspended, the CGT announced on Thursday at
Le Figaro
.
"We will be received Friday morning by the direction of cleanliness and water of the town hall of Paris to discuss our demands"
, explains Régis Vieceli, secretary general of the CGT union for cleaning the City of Paris.
Waste collection therefore resumed in the capital on Thursday.
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The agents had gone on strike "renewable and indefinite" Tuesday at the call of the union CGT FTDNEEA (Waste treatment, cleaning, water, sewer, sanitation), after a notice filed on November 5.
Several garbage collectors occupied the roof of the building of the direction of the cleanliness of Paris.
Fires at the foot of the building were also lit.
"20% of cleanliness and sewer workers are now strikers,"
said Colombe Brossel, the deputy mayor responsible for the cleanliness of public spaces.
A figure disputed by the CGT, which mentions 50% of strikers, and even 80% in some districts that day.
Multiple claims
The strike is for the moment suspended because some of the demands of the garbage collectors have been met.
"
We have obtained a guarantee that there will be no privatization of waste collection in 2021
", explains Régis Vieceli in particular.
The opening of discussions on Friday is also welcomed.
As of Tuesday, Benjamin Raigneau, director of cleanliness and water, assured AFP "to
increase the spaces for dialogue
" with the trade unions, in order to address in particular "
the elements of prevention in the context of the Covid-19 crisis or more structuring elements in the public cleaning service
”.
What are the other demands of the garbage collectors?
"
We have a claim on career paths, including promotions and salaries,
" explains Régis Vieceli.
The questioning of their working time following the 2019 law on the transformation of the civil service is also denounced.
The agents also want a “
remunicipalisation
” of certain missions entrusted to private companies.
The CGT wants more staff to make Paris "clean"
“To do the job properly, we would need at least 1,000 additional garbage collectors,”
continues Régis Vieceli.
The trade unionist explains in particular that the pedestrian surfaces to be cleaned have increased by 30% in Paris for thirty years, in particular because of the widening of sidewalks and squares or the multiplication of cycle paths.
He also mentions 20,000 additional trees, from which fallen leaves must be removed, and the tenfold increase in street bins.
According to Régis Vieceli, no one today knows precisely how many garbage collectors there are in Paris, nor how many it would take for Paris to be “
a clean capital
”.
“
We did not do a workforce census.
We are asking for a statement shared with the Paris town hall and the district mayors
, ”he explains.
In addition to the "
traditional
"
demands
, the trade unionist also explains that
"the health crisis has raised the mayonnaise"
.
He regrets that respect for sanitary rules is not applied everywhere.
“95% of garbage and sewer workers' workshops are in the basement.
There are ventilation malfunctions in many workshops.
Officers breathe stale air.
We are being told about a repair plan, but we must speed up, ”
explains Régis Vieceli.
"
We are refused the temperature taken by the agents when they arrive at work,
" he adds.
“We want to take the time to discuss things, but we shouldn't be freaking out on Friday.
In which case, we will know how to mobilize immediately, ”
he concludes.
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