Workers are calling for higher wages and improved working conditions, with reduced services expected until 27 October.
The issue at stake “is the need to improve working conditions, ensure a salary increase that takes into account the loss of purchasing power, and guarantee that matters relating to work organisation are subject to collective bargaining, rather than unilateral company decisions.”
Workers at Metro Transportes do Sul will be on “total strike” this Tuesday and Wednesday, demanding a salary increase that “takes into account the loss of purchasing power” and better working conditions, according to the train drivers' union.
The strike, called by the National Union of Train Drivers of the Portuguese Railways, will take different forms between this Tuesday and 27 October.
Thus, a “total strike” is planned for Tuesday and Wednesday, and from Thursday until 27 October, the work stoppage will take place during “the last two hours of the work periods that begin on those days,” according to the union.
“In situations where the start of the strike coincides with an ongoing train service, the stoppage will begin at the station of origin of that service, avoiding service interruption at intermediate locations,” the union also indicated in a statement.
Minimum services in place for passengers
In a notice published on its website, Metro Transportes do Sul (MTS) has already warned of the possibility of disruptions to bus services.
According to the company, as part of the minimum services decreed until the 27th, service will be ensured on line 3 (Cacilhas/Universidade) between 07:00 and 09:00 and between 17:00 and 19:00.
Customers who regularly use line 2 (Corroios/Pragal) should transfer at the “Bento Gonçalves” stop in order to continue their journey using lines 1 and 3.
In a statement sent to Lusa, the board of directors of the company, which serves the municipalities of Almada and Seixal, in the district of Setúbal, considered the strike “disproportionate in a context of permanent open negotiation and in a context of total availability for dialogue and the implementation of effective improvements that have been guaranteed in the working conditions of MTS workers, in particular the Driving Operators.”
Negotiations continue over working conditions
The National Union of Train Drivers of the Portuguese Railways stated that the strike was called following the lack of concrete results in negotiations for a new Company Agreement, with the decision being taken by the workers gathered in plenary session “after about two and a half years of negotiations without it being possible to reach an understanding that meets their demands.”
According to the union, the issue at stake “is the need to improve working conditions, ensure a salary increase that takes into account the loss of purchasing power, and guarantee that matters relating to work organisation are subject to collective bargaining, rather than unilateral company decisions.”