Sanitation Workers Halt Garbage Collection in Salvador

Overview

• Municipal garbage collection in Salvador was suspended on Monday after workers closed collection garages and gathered at park and depot sites, producing a rapid build-up of trash in areas such as Pelourinho.
• The Empresa de Limpeza Urbana de Salvador (Limpurb) said it activated an emergency contingency plan, is monitoring the mobilization and asked residents not to place household waste out to limit sanitary and environmental risks.
• Unions in Rio Grande do Norte reported operations running at about 40% capacity on the same day to comply with Brazil’s strike-law rules that require minimum staffing for essential services.
• The mobilization supports Projeto de Lei 4.146/2020, which was approved by the Chamber of Deputies and would create a 40-hour workweek, a national floor of two minimum wages, a 40% maximum insalubrity allowance and special retirement rules for the category.
• If the Senate does not promptly schedule the bill, unions say further action could follow; meanwhile local authorities face short-term public‑health and nuisance risks from exposed refuse and will need to communicate cleanup timelines to residents.