The strike movement of garbage collectors hardens in Toulouse

In the streets of Toulouse, as in twenty-four other municipalities in the agglomeration, household waste is accumulating and the situation should not get better anytime soon. On strike since December 16, 2021, the territorial agents responsible for collecting garbage have decided to continue and harden their movement, Thursday, January 6 in the morning. At issue: the negotiations on the law on the transformation of the civil service, and the general passage to 35 hours imposed on communities, which entered into force on 1er January.

For the 600 or so shippers and drivers employed by the Metropolis, this shift to 35 hours would mean working 1,607 hours per year. In compensation, they ask for recognition of hardship and 34 additional days of rest – known as hardship days – as well as an increase in their remuneration, bonuses for public holidays and Saturdays.

Read also Article reserved for our subscribers In Bonneuil-sur-Marne, the mayor “decided to resist” the application of the 35 hours

Until then, they had benefited from the so-called “finished job” system which allowed them to quit their work after their morning rounds, ie about two hours less than the working time imposed today. For Nicolas Refutin, General Secretary of Force Ouvrière (FO) Toulouse Métropole and representative of the inter-union (FO, CGT, FA-FPT, FSU, Solidaires SUD and UNSA), “The Metropolis offers us only nine more days of leave and salary increases remain unclear.” At the end of a meeting qualified as “Very stormy” Wednesday January 5, “We have decided to harden the movement as of today”, comments the union representative.

“Our reference is Nantes”

In fact, none of the 29 trucks from the Monlong depot or the 17 collection trucks from the Raisin depot, which serve Toulouse city center, was unable to leave Thursday morning. The four other depots in the city have not been blocked, but have very limited activity. For the mayor (La République en marche) of Balma, Vincent Terrail-Novès, and vice-president of the Metropolis, in charge of waste, “We have given nine days and we could go up to eleven, but we will not go beyond”. The elected stresses that the Metropolis wants “Align with what has been granted to municipal police officers. In total, our proposals amount to nearly 1 million euros, for an overall payroll of 25 million, that seems very reasonable to us ”, he specifies.

Read also Article reserved for our subscribers The new 35-hour battle, this time in town halls

Toulouse Métropole collects 250,000 tonnes of household and similar waste (OMA) each year in 24 of the 37 municipalities in the agglomeration, the others using private companies (Veolia, Coved). The mayor of Toulouse, and president of Toulouse Métropole, Jean-Luc Moudenc (Les Républicains), returned to the situation at length during his greetings to the press. Questioned by the strikers for his absence during the negotiations, he announced that “The days of strike since December 16 will not be paid” and threatened with half a word, to consider confiding “In the event of paralysis, the management of waste to private companies by means of a public service delegation”.

You have 27.39% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.

source site-30