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Maria Eugènia Gay's open microphone fuels tension over municipal strikes
An open microphone has added more tension to the labour dispute affecting Barcelona City Council. During the Presidency Committee, and amid a session marked by protests from municipal workers, Maria Eugènia Gay was heard asking, “whose hands are our children in?” The remark, captured after Albert Batlle expelled an attendee, has spread quickly among unions and opposition groups.
The comment comes at a delicate moment. Nurseries, libraries and social services have accumulated weeks of discontent over the application of the new municipal agreement, signed by CSIF, UGT and CCOO but rejected by CGT and Intersindical. The agreement reduces the working week to 35 hours, although the critical unions argue that it is not applied equally across all services and excludes groups with more complex schedules.
The tension is no longer limited to an isolated protest. Junts, Barcelona en Comú and ERC forced an extraordinary plenary session on municipal strikes, scheduled for 29 May. The opposition wants Jaume Collboni’s government to explain a conflict affecting highly sensitive services and beginning to have direct consequences for families, users and workers.
One of the most visible flashpoints is in public libraries, where Intersindical and CGT have called an indefinite strike from 26 May. They demand better shifts, more work-life balance and inclusion in the City Council’s agreement, as they currently fall under the Provincial Council’s framework. The timetable is particularly concerning because it coincides with the weeks before the PAU, when many students use libraries to prepare for exams.
Social services have also seen mobilisation in recent months. The women workers report excessive workloads, a lack of resources and a decline in the quality of care for vulnerable people. The City Council argues that the agreement has sufficient trade-union backing, but the critical groups maintain that reducing working hours without real reinforcement could end up placing more pressure on already overstretched staff.
The underlying problem is not just a phrase picked up by accident. It is the erosion of several public services where labour tension has been building for some time and where every institutional comment is now interpreted through mistrust. In a city where early-years schools, libraries and social care are part of the daily lives of thousands of people, the conflict has ceased to be internal: it already affects the City Council’s image and the patience of those who depend on those services.