Paris trash strike ends, pension protest numbers shrink

Striking sanitation workers in Paris are set to return to work to pick up heaps of trash on March 29 — potentially ending one of the most enduring symbols of resistance by to French President Emmanuel Marcon’s controversial pension bill.

Striking sanitation workers in Paris are set to return to work on March 29 — potentially ending one of the most enduring symbols of resistance to French President Emmanuel Marcon’s controversial pension bill, as nationwide protests also appeared to be winding down.

Clean-up crews were set on Wednesday to start picking up heaps of trash that had piled up over their weekslong strike beginning March 6 — as well as debris from the streets following the tenth nationwide anti-pension reform protest a day earlier.

Trash mounds of up to 10,000 tons along the French capital’s streets — matching the weight of the Eiffel Tower — have become a striking visual and olfactory symbol of opposition to Mr. Marcon’s bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.

In a decision that sent waves of relief among some Paris residents, the powerful CGT union representing sanitation workers announced that the three-week-long strike would be “suspended” as of Wednesday. They will join others who were legally requisitioned over the last week to help with the daunting clean-up process.

“It’s good that the trash is collected. It’s very unsanitary, and some residents already have trouble with rats and mice. It can be dangerous if it’s left too long,” said artist Gil Franco, 73.

The suspension of the strike, together with the dwindling protest numbers, is seen by some as the beginning of the end of demonstrations against the pension bill.

“People are getting tired of it. There has been too much violence. Paris is a mess, and I want to get on with normal life,” said Paris resident Amandine Betout, 32, getting her morning croissant in Le Marais district. She said it was a “good thing” that the trash is swept up from the streets, even though the cleanup could take some time.