Barcelona cleaning and garbage collection workers to strike from April 24 to 29

Barcelona's cleaning and garbage collection workers are set to strike from April 24 to 29  – unless an agreement between employees, whose wages remain stagnant since 2018, and their employers is reached before then –  with curbside recycling and trash bins emptied half as frequently as usual and organic waste collected once every 48 hours.

The Catalan government outlined the minimum services that must be provided these days on Friday and made it clear that medical and care centers, schools, and markets would not be affected.

Eloi Badia, a Barcelona city councilor, has already called on residents to reduce the amount of waste they take out if the strike is not called off.

Badia, who addressed the press on Thursday alongside councilor and second deputy mayor Janet Sanz, said he "understood each household will have its own particular needs" but that doing so would prevent trash from spilling out into the streets.

Both local and Catalan authorities have urged those involved in the dispute to put aside their differences for the sake of residents, Sanz said, adding that she was confident "there is still time for an agreement."

"The city does not deserve this strike," Sanz said.

There are some 4,000 cleaning staff and garbage collectors employed by four different companies the council has outsourced this work to. Their salaries have not increased at all since 2018 despite inflation, currently at an all-time high. If the strike goes ahead, it will be the first of its kind in 40 years.