Can we bring back the janitor? Riga residents are dissatisfied with the work of mobile teams 0 14

However, if the people object, it is possible to negotiate, vote, and demand to hire a janitor for cleaning the area, as found out by the LTV 4 program 4. studija.

Meeting the film crew, local residents admit that they haven't seen such clean and well-salted paths in a long time. They ironically suggest that it must be a special effort for the arrival of the television crew.

According to the inhabitants of the neighborhood, since the janitor's position was eliminated, the area has been cleaned superficially.

"When there was snow, it was even impossible to tell that there was a sidewalk here at all. Today is the first time it has been cleared. The leaves were also not removed, now they are all under the snow," said Gunars.

Former janitor Ingrida Pentyusha stated that she worked here for more than ten years and confirmed that the sight is now sad.

The area is serviced by Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks (RNP), and they believe that mobile teams are created to work more modernly, quickly, cheaply, and efficiently.

"We must admit that in some places this has been successful, while in others we are still in the process. The work of a janitor is hard, it is difficult to do it alone, it takes longer. In a team, we can do this using more equipment that we can provide, and faster. It is financially beneficial for both workers and clients because with such an organization of labor, the work will be more effective," explained RNP representative Inita Kabanova.

Residents of the neighboring house are also dissatisfied that the area is not cleaned. They started complaining last autumn when the leaves were not cleared, and then there were the consequences of the storm. During the holidays, it is impossible to reach the building manager, and during icy conditions, the sidewalks are not salted, making it difficult to walk on the snowy slush.

The RNP representative confirmed that the mobile team should clean the area every day: "Snow needs to be cleared every day; if it is not done somewhere, we must be informed. We will organize to ensure that this does not happen. The team starts early in the morning, beginning at six o'clock, when people are going about their business, so it should already be cleared. Regarding the paths and salting - it needs to be cleared, it needs to be salted. Salt cannot be used. We monitor this very closely. Salt can be applied when the icing is very severe, and only a certain percentage. Mostly it is sand. In the morning, there is a round and initial quick work, and if something larger needs to be done in a certain area, they come again and carry out those larger tasks."

Meanwhile, Mikhail is puzzled: "As far as I understand, there are 5 people in the team, and they service 48 houses. I don’t know if this is correct. It is clear that they cannot clean the area properly. It will be superficial and rushed."

RNP confirmed that mobile cleaning teams consist of 4-6 people, depending on the area and size of the house: "Two teams work with each house: one with the territory, the other with the entrances. Entrances are cleaned once a week, each entrance is swept and washed. There is a major cleaning once a year when windows are washed."

However, RNP could not say whether one team should service 48 houses; on average, there are 27 - some teams have more, others less.

"Half an hour does not quite work for each house. We are also assessing whether there are common waste areas or if they are separate, because the first half of the day is spent collecting household waste, and the second half is dedicated to carrying out planned work," explained Ivo Auzans, head of the RNP territory cleaning department.

RNP asks Riga residents to report problems via the free hotline 8900 or through the mobile application.

It turns out that a house can indeed bring back a janitor: this request must be made to the building manager.

"This is a general vote; as a management company, we organize all of this. There is no need to worry about this; you just need to inform us of your desire - call your building manager or write to the email. We will help organize it because this decision must be made by a general vote, and an individual janitor service may cost the house more," said the RNP representative.