The strike that has fully affected the waste collection service in Madrid has come to an end. It began on Monday, April 21 and, for six days, has had the maximum support of the conveners: the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) and the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT) unions.
During the week of April 21-27, the unions asked the companies subcontracted by the Madrid City Council (FCC, Valoriza, Acciona, OHL, Prezero and Urbaser) to guarantee decent working conditions for the waste collectors. They demanded homogeneity, greater stability and an improvement in wages for the collective.
Today, the collection service is operating normally after almost a week of strike. The companies and the unions accelerated negotiations last Saturday, shortly after the council announced that, if no agreement was reached, there would be an emergency plan to hire external companies.
On Sunday, April 27, at 11:00 a.m., an agreement was put forward that involves, in addition to new social benefits (such as the regularization of the conditions of partial indefinite-term workers) a wage improvement for all garbage collection workers: a pay increase of 1.5% in 2025; another 1.5% in 2026; 2% in 2027; 3% in 2028 and 5% in 2029. In addition, operators with 44 years of seniority will receive a bonus of 90% of their base salary, and those with 39 years will receive a bonus of 80%.
This improvement plan won 819 points in favor, which has meant, in addition to the end of the strike, a great advance in terms of workers’ rights within the sector.
The strike: piled-up garbage and insufficient minimum services.
The Madrid City Council confirmed that there would be minimum collection services during the strike. In hospitals, schools, kindergartens and residences, it assured that they would operate under the usual conditions, with no changes.
The protests affected to a greater extent the removal of household waste, which was to be carried out every 48 hours. Last Friday, Madrid saw garbage bags piled up, bins overflowing and hundreds of neighborhood communities waiting for solutions. In short, it suffered the consequences of insufficient minimum services.
