Clean up begins as Paris rubbish collectors suspend work stoppage

Refuse collectors in Paris on Wednesday suspended a three-week strike that has seen thousands of tonnes of rubbish pile up on the streets of the French capital.

Paris in the springtime: pedestrians cover their noses as they walk past stinking waste on a street in the French capital. AFP - BERTRAND GUAY

A blockade of three incinerators serving the city has also been lifted.

The return to work will allow staff to coordinate and organise more powerful industrial action against pension reform, the hardline CGT union said.

It admitted an end to the strike was called after the number of workers downing tools tapered off.

Health fears

The mounds of unsightly rubbish that have attracted rodents and sparked health concerns are now set to be removed.

Despite authorities requisitioning an incineration plant to make waste removal possible despite the dispute, almost 7,000 tonnes of rubbish was left uncollected.

City authorities have warned that it will take time to remove all of the garbage.

President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 saw a tenth day of nationwide cross-sector strikes and protests on Tuesday.

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• Protests continue as French government rejects talks proposal on pension reform