Waste strike gets Madrilenen in the wallet: « Who wants to eat in this mess? »

In which street you also walk in the Spanish capital Madrid, there are crowded garbage containers everywhere and garbage bags are spread over the sidewalks and intersections – often opened by homeless people looking for something to eat. The scent is almost unbearable on hot days. From the chic neighborhoods in Salamanca to the narrow alleys of lavapiés: the city is bathed in waste.

Since last Monday, April 21, the six companies that are responsible for the waste in Madrid stuck indefinitely. The garbage staff demand better employment conditions for the 1,600 employees, including a wage increase of 2 percent instead of the 1 percent that the companies now offer. They also want bonuses for night shifts, to be scheduled for a maximum of six consecutive services and more transparency about promotions. A previously reached agreement was voted out by the employees with 940 votes against and 254 in front.

The strike ensures a considerable accumulation of waste on the street, which leads to health risks and nuisance for the inhabitants. The city council has now set minimal services as a temporary solution, which means that the household waste is collected every 48 hours in certain neighborhoods. The municipality has also tried to use the special cleaning service Selur, but it refuses that out of solidarity with the strikers. Essential institutions such as hospitals and schools remain completely served.

Windows

« I have been living here for twenty years, but I have never experienced this. It stinks so badly that I have the windows closed all day with this nice weather, » says María Delgado, a retired teacher from Delicias. « And now that the temperatures rise, the smell will only get worse. Just a little while and the rats will take over the streets. »

In a restaurant further on, catering employee óscar points to the enormous hope of waste on his terrace. « Normally the weather is full here with good weather, but who wants to eat and drink a glass of wine in the midst of this stuff. Isn’t your stomach turning around? » He says. « This strike, touches us in the wallet. »

Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida has threatened with a fine of 1.6 million euros if the waste companies do not resume their work. At the same time, he calls on both sides to take responsibility. « We do not want to affect the right to strike, but we do want to guarantee the hygienic conditions for waste collection in the city. »

In Malasaña or Plaza Mayor, where tourists normally marvel at colorful streets, they now have to maneuver between the garbage bags just like with an obstacle course. « We thought this was art, » jokes a couple from Stuttgart, Germany, laughing by hand in front of the nose and a camera in hand.

As long as the trade unions and the companies do not reach a new agreement, the chaos in the city continues to grow. Madrid breathes protest and smells like rotten fish, old pizza and pushy ammonia air.

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