Three-day cleaners and garbage collectors strike in Barcelona starting tomorrow

Cleaners and garbage collectors in Barcelona will go on strike from Sunday at 9 pm until Wednesday at 9 pm, coinciding with the Christmas festivities, to protest against "the lack of improvements in working conditions" and the suspension of negotiations on a new collective agreement between companies and workers.

The UGT union called the strike. Meanwhile, the city council continues to urge both sides to reach an agreement, as deputy mayor Laia Bonet said on Saturday morning.

Despite hopes that the strike will be called off, local authorities also called on residents to cooperate to reduce garbage and keep it at home as much as possible.

Among the recommendations, politicians encouraged citizens to throw away all residue on Saturday, the last day of regular service.

Authorities recommended recycling and properly separating residues among containers to prevent bins from reaching their maximum capacity. During the strike, at least one garbage collection should occur, and cleaning near health centers and markets will also be required.

Street cleaning and garbage collection will resume on December 25 from 9 pm.

70-day strike

In Arboç, a municipality south of Barcelona, the situation is getting worse every day. The garbage collectors have been on strike for 70 days.

The situation has forced the city council to declare another public health emergency and order a massive street cleaning.

"The right to strike is a recognized right, but there is also the right to public health," city mayor Joan Sans said on Saturday. "As a mayor, I will fight for this," he added.

A new cleaning contract with a new company will begin on January 1, and "all the problems should be resolved," Sans said.