This has been in force for decades. It dates back to the time when Pierre Baudis was mayor of Toulouse. the
“Finished-gone”, which allows waste collection officers to stop working after their rounds are finished, whatever time it is, is in the sights of
Toulouse metropolis.

It’s been a week Since then, a wave of anger has animated the 600 or so garbage collectors of the agglomeration who will be affected by this decision.

To get it through the elected officials on the Civil Service Transformation Act passed in the middle of the summer and which require territorial agents to work now 1,607 hours per year, or 35 hours per week.

More safety according to the community

To compensate for the arduousness of their activity, she now plans to give them two days of compensation, five less than today. “On average, garbage collectors work 25 hours a week. Finishing off is a perverse practice that encourages them to go fast, putting themselves in danger and doing inappropriate things for their health. We want to behave as a responsible employer, so that, in the future, when they retire, they will be in better condition, ”says Vincent Terrail-Novès, vice-president in charge of the waste and cleanliness economy. in Toulouse Métropole.

The latter wants agents to take more time from now on their rounds, in order to limit the risks. And if they arrive at the depot before the end of regular time, their managers will take the opportunity to remind them of the instructions. “Between 2018 and 2020, we had 215 work accidents, which is 3.5 times more than in all other community services. We also still have dozens of reminders that are being made on good practices, whether it be the appropriate actions or when there are red lights burned out, ”says the elected representative to justify this controversial decision.

Arguments undermined by the unions. “Whether it’s raining, shining or snowing, the agents collect it, they do their job conscientiously, they say the safety rules. They take advantage of the law to put an end to the finite, or with the derogatory system, it is possible to maintain it by recognizing the hardship. In Marseille, they are protected with a reduction of 9.5% of working time. With us, they had made a written commitment during the reorganization of the collection in 2019 not to go back on it. Once again, the politicians are failing to meet their commitments, ”laments Patrick Mouinet, from Unsa Territoriaux.

Actions to come according to the unions

The question of arduousness is at the heart of the demands of the various unions, unanimous against the arbitration of Toulouse Métropole. “In two years, the local authority has reduced collection staff by 25%, it has increased the size of the sectors and therefore the workload of the agents. To put an end to the finished game, she talks about respect for health and safety conditions, it is paradoxical, ”denounces Nicolas Refutin, secretary general of FO Toulouse Métropole.

All the organizations have an appointment this Friday to decide on the actions to be taken. Beyond the strike, some advocate another form of mobilization. “Today the collections are made on the main roads as a priority, the agents do not take the time to take their break, they work fast enough so that people do not get stuck behind the truck and not to annoy the people of Toulouse by creator of traffic jams, it’s a win-win. We will propose to apply the rules to the letter, not to get on the sidewalks to pass, to take all the breaks and in the end all the streets will not have been retained, the trucks not emptied and it will accumulate », Pleads Benoît Fontanilles for the autonomous union FA-FPT.

Actions that could be put in place quickly, before the next meeting of the technical committee scheduled for November 18.