“49.3 or not, we will not move. “A few hours before Élisabeth Borne, Prime Minister, once again draws the article symbol of the term of office, the garbage collectors of the garage of the Department of Cleanliness and Water Paris City Hall of Ivry-sur-Seine don’t give up.
“It’s not a surprise to see the government pull out its favorite weapon,” explains Didier Labruyère, Force Ouvrière union representative. A few hours earlier already, rumors of the requisition of garbage collectors on strike by the Paris Police Prefecture to respond to the accumulation of garbage in the capital swelled.
The shadow of requisitions
“We know that the CRS are already in Pizzorno”, comments a striker about the intervention of the police at the warehouse of the private company, responsible for collecting waste in the southwestern part of Paris.
However, all the people present on the picket line this Thursday morning seem rather calm. “We will not let go, whatever happens,” adds Farid, also a Force Ouvrière delegate on this site, which records 98% of strikers. Stopped since March 6, the agents of the site which houses 80 garbage collection trucks from the City of Paris remain determined.
No matter how, these employees do not want pension reform, and hate the way this new law is brought: “We were applauded during confinement. This was proof of the usefulness of our work. Now we are being crushed. We are treated with contempt by people who don’t know what work is,” gets angry Christian*.
Already difficult working conditions
To justify their movement, there is no lack of arguments: “Most of the agents here get up at 3:30 a.m. every day, to be on the bridge at 5:30 a.m. Whether it’s raining, snowing, windy, we’re there every day,” adds Farid. All note the arduousness of their job. A “killer” as Yasmine calls him, also a striker: “They keep telling us that life expectancy is increasing. For them, the elected officials in suits yes. But we have had another seven deaths in two years. »
Heart attacks, cancers of the digestive tract, these colleagues have not exceeded the age of 61, as Christian deplores: “Can you imagine what it is to lift garbage cans at 60? And they want to add two more. Because if these agents can effectively retire at 57 by virtue of their status (59 with the reform), the vast majority push up to 62, as Didier Labruyère points out: “We can leave earlier, but with a discount of around 5% per year. With salaries around 1,300 euros per month on average, after 40 years of career, they are not much to leave in advance. »
Especially since with such wages, most cannot find accommodation near Paris, a city from which they rid the inhabitants of their garbage. It is not uncommon for them to drive more than 60 kilometers a day to come to work. For Didier, it’s 180 kilometers round trip daily. So they are determined.
Slow-motion rounds to circumvent the law
“We won’t give up! 49.3 or not, requisition or not, they assure that they will hold the movement. “We are not delinquents, specifies Christian, if we are requisitioned, we will not smash people. But the employees are exhausted, and we will not be able to hold everyone. »
Because the movement of requisitions has already begun. Provided for in the General Code of Local Authorities which allows “requesting any person necessary for the operation of this service”, the Paris Police Prefecture has obliged the Paris City Hall, opposed to the principle, to send this Thursday the list of 4,000 names and addresses of garbage collectors who work for it.
But employees have already planned the response. In case of requisition, they will respect the law: “But if it takes four hours to start my dumpster in the morning, and to heat the cabin, an essential condition for good working conditions, well that’s it,” says Didier The Heather. In the same way, nothing will force him to hurry during collection rounds: “If I want to do it in slow motion, no one will force me to go faster. »
Ditto for exceptional technical problems that could occur during the tours: “Only we are able to know how to operate. So if it takes the day to fix a problem, we’ll take the day. The union official does not hide the techniques envisaged to continue the movement. Obstruct the smooth running of the work without blocking it, a way of circumventing the requisition without risking penalties.
The 2024 Olympics in sight?
“It’s the same for the incinerator. If they want to get it going again by force, the guys will know how to take 96 hours or more to start it, instead of the 24 to 48 hours normally required. “A technique that Farid summarizes by:” If they want to play, we also know how to do it. »
And the employees insist on this point: “This is only the beginning. And the worst is latent. “Macron is bragging about his Olympics in 2024. But it could very well turn into a disaster if we decide. The Government would be wrong to sit on this. »