Girona recovers normality in waste collection after three days of strike. The workers of Girona+Neta resumed cleaning and emptying containers on Thursday after reaching an agreement with management that ended the labor dispute on Wednesday afternoon.
The mayor of the city, Lluc Salellas, has assured that in 24-36 hours the city should return to normal. The councilor confirmed on his Instagram profile that he has already contacted the concessionaire company to guarantee that the state of the containers and street cleaning are restored before the start of Temps de Flors.
Santa Eugènia and Sant Narcís Sidewalks Unblocked by Workers
During the strike, which began on Monday, some container islands became overflowing. The incidence was greater in the neighborhoods of Santa Eugènia and Sant Narcís, where the accumulated waste reached the point of blocking passage on the sidewalks. This Thursday morning, the workers removed this debris and emptied the public trash cans.
However, the situation was not uniform throughout the municipality. Temporary collection areas could not be set up in Barri Vell or in part of Mercadal. Instead, the door-to-door service, a model that avoids massive accumulation in public spaces, continued without interruption.
The tension between the parties remained during the three days of conflict. The City Council questioned the sufficiency of the minimum services provided, while the works committee defended that these were scrupulously met.
A 1% salary increase closes the agreement pending since 2023
The strike officially ended on Wednesday around 7:00 PM. Employees voted in favor of the company's proposal after more than a year of negotiations to renew the collective bargaining agreement. Of the 212 registered workers, 169 employees cast their vote.
The majority supported the agreement. Specifically, 138 votes backed the proposal presented by the company. The pact includes a 1% salary increase and a firm commitment to negotiate schedules and shifts within a maximum of six months.
"Regarding the state of the containers and the cleaning of the streets, normality will be restored in the coming hours" - Lluc Salellas, mayor of Girona
The company has communicated to the council that total normality will be recovered by Friday afternoon at the latest. This deadline is crucial to prepare the city for the arrival of visitors for Temps de Flors, one of the most important tourist events on the Girona calendar.
This is not the first conflict that affects urban cleaning before the floral event. In 2019, an indefinite one-day strike also caused overflowing containers just before the event. The longest stoppages date back to April 2011, lasting eleven days, and to March 2004, when the protest lasted for twelve days.