The staff of the Reus street cleaning service has demanded that the municipal government commission a technical study on the feasibility of reducing the working day within the current contract. The works council maintains that the city has fallen behind compared to other municipalities in the area and warns that it will increase pressure if it does not receive a political response.
The representation of the workers maintains that in Reus the 40 weekly hours are maintained, while in most municipalities in the area the workday moves between 35 and 37.5 hours. It also points out that the municipal and mixed companies of the city already work with those margins.
"In Vila seca, they have been working 37.5 hours for ten years. The only ones who maintain the 40 hours are Reus and Tarragona" - Miguel Pérez, president of the works council
The committee requests a technical evaluation and a progressive application
The committee has not proposed a closed figure for that reduction in working hours. Its request is for municipal technicians to analyze whether that change can fit within the current contract and, if the conclusion is favorable, for the application to be made progressively during the six years remaining on the contract.
If that report concludes that the reduction is not viable in the current framework, the staff demands that it be guaranteed in the next tender document. The demand, in any case, requires that there be a reasoned response.
"If the municipal technicians say it is not viable, let them justify it. And then let the next tender incorporate this reduction in working hours" - Miguel Pérez, president of the works council
The City Council sees with good eyes the proposal, but refers to the contract and to the company
From the municipal sphere, the initiative is considered positive, although it is recalled that the agreement is in force until 2032 and that this framework, in the opinion of the council, leaves no room for maneuver. It is also insisted that the labor relationship with the staff must be negotiated with the contracting company.
The same sources point out that a change could only be introduced if a higher-ranking norm so established it. That interpretation clashes with the committee's demand, which denounces that a real negotiation scenario has not been opened.
"Due to other structural issues, no real negotiation scenario has been facilitated either" - Miguel Pérez, president of the works council
Notice of political contacts and possible mobilizations
The social side warns that, if there is no response, it will open a round of contacts with the municipal groups. The next step, if the situation remains blocked, would be the call for mobilizations.
"If they don't answer us, we will start a round with the municipal groups. And if nothing moves either, we will call for mobilizations" - Miguel Pérez, president of the works council
The conflict arrives a few months after, at the end of 2024, the works council of Reus Net signed a new labor agreement. Reus Net is the UTE formed by Valoriza and Romero Polo in the concession of the waste collection service.
That agreement will be in force until December 31, 2031 and includes salary increases aligned with those of civil servants, with a cap of 2.5%. It also incorporates measures to improve work-life balance and the freezing of seniority bonuses in exchange for a compensatory supplement. Despite that recently agreed framework, the street cleaning staff now keeps the focus on the working day and demands a political decision backed by a technical report.