Toulouse: have all the streets been cleaned after the garbage collectors’ strike?
The garbage collectors’ strike ended a month ago. The delay, not entirely reduced, is about to be caught up.
It was no small feat. 3,000 tons of waste rotted the face of Toulouse and its suburbs. But in a month, some streets in the city have gradually regained their charm, hidden under heaps of garbage. Nicolas Refutin, secretary general of FO Toulouse Métropole, believes that “the agents have made good progress”.
“The situation has not completely returned to normal. But a good part of the work to be done has been done,” he continues.
Proof of this is that the road workers, who were called in to pick up the trash cans, no longer have the possibility of volunteering since last Friday. Only the agents of the private companies would still be alongside the garbage collectors every day.
Toulouse Métropole had counted on three weeks to reduce the delay during the waste collection strike. In reality, according to Nicolas Refutin, the return to normal should take place at the beginning of March.
Some Complications
If the condition of some neighborhoods has improved, others will still prefer. The traces left by a conflict that dragged on for 52 days are still visible. Waste collection, despite an all-out recovery, has come up against a new regulation, which would slow down collection. Some depots are struggling to complete rounds. “The sectors are now long for the new working methods…”, indicates the secretary general of FO Toulouse Métropole.
Added to this constraint is a complex health situation. “Many agents have fallen ill in recent weeks, details the trade unionist. Absenteeism was high, particularly in two depots”. The Covid episode seems to be over. Absenteeism is down. The indicators of a complete collection are therefore green.
Asked, Vincent Terrail-Novès, vice-president of Toulouse Métropole in charge of waste, did not wish to answer. The elected official told us that the delay should be made up for at the beginning of February.