200 Barcelona cleaning staff protest outside negotiations over Christmas strike

Around 200 workers from Barecelona's waste collection and street cleaning services protested outside the Department of Labor on Monday morning, coinciding with a mediation meeting to prevent the strike announced for December 22. 

The protesters blocked Sepúlveda Street and set fire to a container, chanting demands for better wages.

The UGT union has called for a strike from 10:00 pm on December 22 until the same time on Christmas Day, December 25.

The union has organized the stoppage due to the "lack of labor improvements" for the workforce and the "stalemate" in negotiations over a collective workers' agreement. 

The meeting between the UGT union and the four companies that run the refuse and cleaning services ended without agreement.