UGT has registered an indefinite strike call this Tuesday at the municipal company Sóller 2010, which will affect waste collection and street cleaning from July 17. The union denounces the deterioration of working conditions and the refusal to provide a decent wage.
Residents of Sóller are facing a summer with potential interruptions in waste collection services. The UGT union registered an indefinite strike call this Tuesday that will begin on Friday, July 17, and will halt both waste collection and street cleaning in the municipality. The staff of Sóller 2010, the public company managing these services, claims to have run out of patience in the face of what it describes as a constant deterioration of their working conditions.
The conflict centres on holiday compensation
The main point of contention is the compensation for working on public holidays. The new collective agreement, signed in April and applied since June although not yet published in the BOIB, establishes that waste collection is to be considered an ordinary working day as it is an essential service. The compensation set is 90 euros per holiday, plus a 50% night shift supplement, which totals 135 euros for workers and 157 euros for drivers. However, workers are demanding to maintain the previous compensation, which was 182 euros per holiday worked. The works council is demanding a new agreement that preserves that previous compensation.
This is not the first time that the waste service in Sóller has been shaky. Back in March, UGT called for a strike that was ultimately called off after a wage agreement was reached before the TAMIB (Arbitration and Mediation Tribunal of the Balearic Islands). Now, months later, the disagreement persists and the union has decided to reactivate the protest, this time with no end date. The accumulation of rubbish in the bins has already been a source of complaint among residents, and the strike threatens to exacerbate the situation during the peak tourist season.
“The staff has run out of patience in the face of the deterioration of working conditions and the repeated refusal to acknowledge a decent wage,” UGT stated.
The Town Hall requests TAMIB's mediation
The Town Hall of Sóller, governed by Miquel Nadal, has requested the intervention of TAMIB to try to redirect the conflict and avoid the strike. In a statement, the mayor, accompanied by the councillor for the Environment, Antònia Frau, and the councillor for Infrastructure, Carlos Darder, stated that the Town Hall cannot meet the increase demanded by UGT. The governing team reminds that Sóller 2010 has already committed to a 25% salary increase between 2026 and 2028, an effort they consider very significant, and argue that accepting all union demands would jeopardise the economic viability of the municipal company.
Despite the severity of the announcement, the Town Hall remains willing to reach an agreement that balances the workers' demands with the budgetary possibilities of Sóller 2010. Furthermore, they point out that before signing the agreement last April, UGT reviewed the document and gave its approval to implement the new remuneration system. Now, the union is backtracking, which has caused discontent within the governing team.
For the residents of Sóller, the strike will mean a direct disruption: if no agreement is reached, from July 17 the bins will fill up without the garbage truck passing by, and the streets will stop being cleaned. In mid-July, with tourism booming and high temperatures, the risk of unpleasant odours and health issues is real. The Town Hall is already considering emergency measures, such as hiring an external service, although this would increase costs and not resolve the underlying conflict.
The coming weeks will be crucial. TAMIB will need to mediate between the parties to try to reach an agreement that avoids the strike. If there are no advances, Sóller will experience a summer with rubbish in the streets and the patience of residents, like that of workers, at its limit.
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