EMAC Direct-Hiring Review Puts Hormigas Chuas Cost Around $12 Million A Year

Cuenca's trash-collection labor debate has moved into a cost review.

Payment delays for EMAC EP cleaning workers known as hormigas chuas opened a broader discussion about labor obligations, contractor responsibility, and whether the current outside-company model should continue.

About 90 workers from groups A, B, and C reported unpaid wages for May and June.

The Direct-Hiring Question

Municipal authorities, the labor ministry, and the National Assembly are pushing a technical table and oversight work to analyze whether these workers should be hired directly.

A technical commission has been formed. It must present a technical, legal, and administrative report within 15 days counted from July 2 on the possibility of changing the current model.

The larger question is what it would cost EMAC to directly hire approximately 600 hormigas chuas.

According to figures presented by the company's former management, bringing that personnel in directly would require around $12 million per year in pay and legal benefits.

Why The Numbers Matter

The review also estimates another $3 million to $5 million for vehicles, machinery, and equipment needed for the operation.

EMAC's annual budget is around $30 million. Between January and June 2026, garbage-collection fee revenue reached $11.75 million.

For residents, this is not just a labor story. It is also a municipal-services story, because any change in the collection model has to fit inside EMAC's budget and operating capacity.