Strikes Disrupt Waste Collections in Germany and Spain as Retail Workers Join Protests
Published on 07/18/2026 at 22:12 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
Solid waste services in two European locations faced major disruptions this week as labor disputes in the sanitation sector escalated. In the Spanish municipality of Sóller, staff at the municipal contractor Sóller 2010 are preparing for an open-ended strike starting Monday, after dozens of employees gathered on the central square today to protest stalled negotiations. Meanwhile, in the German city of Saarbrücken, roughly two-thirds of the 30 employees at waste firm ASS, a subsidiary of ZKE, walked off the job yesterday. The action halted collection of yellow bags across the city as well as bulky waste and electronic scrap pickups.
The core disagreement in Sóller revolves around a planned reduction in pay for work on public holidays. The works council says maintaining current conditions would cost about 25,000 euros a year. Workers accuse the city administration of a lack of willingness to compromise, rejecting the argument that budget constraints are to blame. Employees are also demanding an effective heat protection protocol. The works council further fears that the company’s current direction could pave the way for privatization, warning of significant disruptions to municipal services if no deal is reached.
In Saarbrücken, the union Verdi is calling for ASS employees to be paid according to the collective agreement for the public sector. Current wages fall well below that negotiated level. Workers also report major shortcomings in occupational safety, fleet condition, and organisation. The responsible state authority has been investigating the situation since the summer of 2025. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for September 14.
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Tensions are also running high in Hesse’s retail sector. Verdi has called for statewide warning strikes today in cities including Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, and Kassel, after employers cancelled all bargaining sessions until mid-August. The union demands a pay increase of 250 euros per month for employees and an additional 150 euros for trainees, over a 12-month term. The employers’ latest offer proposes increases of 2.4 percent in the first year and 2.0 percent in the second, with a total contract duration of 24 months.
Not every labor conflict is boiling over. At Bavarian Broadcasting (Bayerischer Rundfunk), negotiators reached a settlement yesterday. Salaries for roughly 5,300 employees will rise retroactively to February 2026 by 1.23 percent, with further increases scheduled for April 2027 and April 2028. The new collective agreement runs until the end of 2028.
In a different arena, employee representatives at Nutracorp, a sports nutrition manufacturer in Schleswig-Holstein, have achieved a victory on co-determination. After a legal battle that began in summer 2023 and reached the Federal Labor Court, the company held its first works council election at the end of June. The newly formed body plans to focus on occupational safety and working time regulations. A collective wage agreement does not yet exist at the facility.
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