Charles Guyard (in Nantes), edited by Yanis Darras
The garbage collectors’ strike against the pension reform is impacting several cities in France. In Nantes, where waste is piling up along the sidewalks, traders are torn between their support for the movement, and concern about the economic impact it could have on their city.
Put pressure on the government. This is the objective of the unions, which will mobilize for the eighth time this Wednesday in the streets of French cities, to oppose the pension reform. In parallel with the processions, several professions are mobilizing to oppose the executive’s bill, like refinery employees, or garbage collectors.
In Nantes, the movement of collection workers is entering its second week. “It reminds me of Marseille in 2010. There were even trash cans that were starting to catch fire”, remembers at the microphone of Europe 1, Raphaëlle, shopkeeper. In front of his shop, trash bags are piling up. The waste “piles up quite a bit, and inevitably, for the patient, the smells are not terrible”, notes his neighbor Charles, a pharmacist. “But for my fellow restaurateurs, necessarily, it’s a little more complicated,” he continues.
A sustained movement
In fact, a little further down the street, a small mountain of garbage begins to form near the restaurant Le Café Culte. “It gives a beautiful view of the beautiful city of Nantes. I try to push the waste a little, especially since it can bring back a lot of mice, a lot of rats and have an impact on our work”, notes Anaïs, the restaurant manager.
But despite these inconveniences, most assure him: “If it can make things happen”, the people of Nantes will continue to support the action, they conclude.
