Union delivers open letter at the 8th Urban Cleaning Meeting in Guimarães

STAL and Fiequimetal delivered an open letter at the 8th Urban Cleaning Meeting in Guimarães, dated September 8, 2026, calling for the creation of a collective labor contract for the entire country that regulates labor relations in waste collection and urban hygiene. Joaquim Sousa, a STAL leader, explained that the objective is to reach the Government, local authorities, and companies operating in this sector, denouncing the disparity between public administration workers, who have defined career paths, and the overwhelming majority of private sector workers, who do not have this right. In the case of Guimarães, the unions criticize Vitruss Ambiente, the municipal company to which the Council has progressively transferred urban hygiene responsibilities. Baltazar Gonçalves, coordinator of the Braga regional directorate, noted that the company has never wanted to make a company agreement, unlike others such as AGERE or Vimágua, which have agreements negotiated with the unions and their own salary tables. The union leader warned that, being a public company under private regime, "the boss ends up disposing of all that without rules." On the Council's side, Alberto Martins, Councilor for Environment and Sustainability, stated that he trusts Vitruss's work and assured that workers' conditions are safeguarded, arguing that the high interest in working for the company reflects good conditions and assured rights. The unions have already requested a meeting with Vitruss's management to discuss the situation. The open letter, endorsed by the national leaderships of STAL and Fiequimetal, both affiliated to CGTP, calls on the Government to implement salary and professional valorization policies and adequate funding for local authorities, on councils to assume responsibility for service quality and prioritize direct public management, and on companies to fully comply with labor legislation and collective contracts. The document warns that without respected and valued workers, there are no clean cities.