The cleaning strike fills Girona with rubbish and threatens the start of Temps de Flors

The streets of Girona are filling with rubbish after two days of strike action. The lack of an agreement between the City Council and the cleaning company puts the eagerly awaited Temps de Flors at risk. The pay dispute threatens the city's image just before the festival.

The accumulation of rubbish in Girona is beginning to concern those planning to visit the city or move around its streets these days. The cleaning service strike, now in its second day, has left overflowing bins and bags piled up on pavements, just as one of the most emblematic events in the local calendar approaches.

The conflict between the City Council and the concessionary company remains unresolved. The main sticking point is the workers' demand for their wages to be updated in line with the consumer price index. Meanwhile, negotiations remain deadlocked and the city sees the situation worsen with every passing hour.

Concern is growing because Temps de Flors, the festival that transforms Girona into a showcase for floral art and attracts thousands of visitors, is about to begin. If the strike continues, the city's image could be seriously affected in the middle of the high season for tourism and cultural events.

Temps de Flors is much more than a flower festival: for several days in May, Girona becomes an open stage where courtyards, squares and historic monuments are filled with floral installations. This annual event, which began in 1954, has evolved into a cultural and tourist benchmark, capable of attracting visitors from around the world and energising local life. This year's edition, scheduled for 9 May, now faces an unexpected challenge that tests the city's ability to respond.

The strike, called by the union at the concessionary company Girona+Neta on 4 May, responds to a dispute that has already gone eighteen months without a signed collective agreement. The workers are demanding wage updates in line with the CPI, improved work-life balance, an expanded workforce and the creation of the role of neighbourhood street sweeper. Negotiations have failed through several rounds of mediation, and the City Council, led by mayor Lluc Salellas, has publicly demanded an urgent agreement to call off the strike.The timing could not be more delicate. Temps de Flors, which this year runs from 9 to 17 May and usually attracts around 400,000 visitors, faces the risk of welcoming tourists from around the world to dirty streets. The minimum services ordered by the Generalitat have not been sufficient to keep the city in good condition, and pressure on both sides is growing as the festival's opening approaches.