Paris trash strike ends, pension protest numbers shrink

PARIS -

Sanitation workers in Paris are set to return to work Wednesday amid heaps of trash that piled up over their weekslong strike as protests against French President Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension bill appeared to be winding down.

Trash mounds of up to 10,000 tons along the French capital's streets -- matching the weight of the Eiffel Tower -- have become a striking visual symbol of opposition to Macron's bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.

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Clean-up crews were set Wednesday to start picking up debris from streets following fresh anti-pension reform protests a day earlier. The powerful CGT union representing sanitation workers said its three-week-long strike was over Wednesday. They will join others who were legally requisitioned to earlier to help with the clean-up.

"It's good that the trash is collected. It's very unsanitary, and some residents already have trouble with rats and mice. It can be dangerous if it's left too long," said artist Gil Franco, 73.

The clean up, together with the dwindling number of protesters, is seen by some as the beginning of the end of demonstrations against the pension bill.

"People are getting tired of it. There has been too much violence. Paris is a mess, and I want to get on with normal life," said Paris resident Amandine Betout, 32, getting her morning croissant in Le Marais district. She said it was a "good thing" that the trash is swept up from the streets, even though the cleanup could take some time.

An artist going by the single name Bisk who has drawn attention for his creative sculptures using trash said his work has added some levity to otherwise tense protests, reminding Parisians about the lighter side of life.

"People come by all serious then see a monster's face or a little man, and they leave with a smile. People have thanked me for puncturing the mood," the 30-year-old artist said.

Bisk said he has worked on around 100 trash bin 'sculptures' since Mar 6, creating fantastical monster's faces with mad eyes or little friendly men.

"Everyone is tense, and I'm stopped by police when I'm working as they think I'm going to set fire to the trash -- but I'm just doing art," Bisk said. "I'm not political. I just transform crap into gold."

Tuesday's protests in Paris saw dozens of arrests and flare ups of violence, though significantly fewer people participated in the action nationwide.

The Interior Ministry put the number of demonstrators nationwide at 740,000, down from more than 1 million five days ago when protesters voiced their rage at Macron's order to ram the bill through parliament without a vote.

For unions, the fight against the law is far from over. An eleventh day of action is scheduled for April 6.