Bin collection strike enters second week in south-west France town

A waste collection strike has led to mounting rubbish piles across the Charente town of Angoulême, as industrial action by bin workers and waste site staff entered its second week with no resolution in sight.

Household waste collectors working for the Grand Angoulême agglomeration of 38 communes have been on strike since June 2, after a walkout by employees at the area’s seven municipal waste tips in the last week of May.

The area has a population of over 140,000; estimates are that there is an average of 160kg of residual household waste per inhabitant each year.

By Monday, June 9, bins were overflowing, with black bin bags piling up on pavements and waste accumulating near schools, blocks of flats and major roads.

The situation is exacerbated by the warm weather.

The local authority has stopped asking residents to leave their bins out “just in case” and is now recommending that they be taken back in - advice that has seen only limited compliance.

With waste tips closed and no alternative collection points available to the public, many residents have little choice but to leave their household waste on the streets. 

Access to waste facilities in other parts of the department is restricted to residents of the communes in question, usually through a pass system.

The next scheduled negotiation between strikers and the agglomeration’s management is set for Wednesday, June 12. However, progress remains uncertain. 

Read more: More French communes ending home bin collections

No talks took place over the Pentecost holiday weekend, and on Thursday, June 12, a new strike notice lodged by the CGT union for municipal employees in Angoulême is set to begin. 

Savoie strike resolved

The dispute follows a similar strike in the Savoie department earlier this month, where bin workers in the Grand Chambéry area returned to work on Friday, June 6 after four days of action. 

That strike was also led by the CGT but centred around working conditions and route planning rather than pay.

In that case, an agreement was reached after two rounds of talks, with the union hailing a “victory for dignity”. 

Among the concessions won were better-balanced collection rounds, improved rest breaks, limits on single-operator rounds, and recognition of hygiene issues related to cleaning the trucks.

No such agreement has yet emerged in Angoulême. 

For now, residents and local authorities must contend with the ongoing disruption and health risks posed by the growing volume of uncollected waste.