Overview

• The Madrid City Council has readied an emergency decree to hire external companies for waste collection starting Sunday night if no agreement is reached.
• Fines imposed on concessionaire companies for failing to meet minimum service levels have accumulated to €2.4 million, with €400,000 added daily.
• Negotiations remain stalled as unions accuse the city of coercion and companies challenge the strike's legality.
• Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida has warned that the city will take over garbage collection if minimum service requirements continue to be unmet.
• The strike, now in its sixth day, has left garbage piling up across Madrid, raising public health concerns and political pressure on city leadership.