The union plenary, organized by the Registry Syndicate Platform—which includes the Associação Sindical dos Conservadores dos Registos (ASCR), Sindicato dos Trabalhadores dos Registos e do Notariado (STRN), and Sindicato Nacional dos Registos (SNR)—took place from 09:30 to 13:30 and saw 2,500 online registrations. Thousands of workers participated, effectively halting services, according to a sector source.
The workers unanimously rejected the Government’s proposal and crafted a joint counterproposal, which is set to be presented to the Ministry of Justice in Lisbon on Wednesday.
The organization stated that the event, marked by “historic participation,” was “an unequivocal demonstration of unity, strength, and courage among all sector workers,” expressing clear discontent to political agents, especially the Government.
The Registry Syndicate Platform emphasized that workers were unanimous in stating that failure to accept their counterproposal “will result in more drastic measures, including unprecedented forms of protest within the sector.”
The platform claimed that the discussion highlighted the “unsustainable conditions in registry services,” criticizing the Government’s inaction, currently under the PSD/CDS-PP’s support, and highlighting a lack of urgent measures previously advocated while in opposition.
The platform cited the Government’s negotiation proposal as “ineffective,” failing to address structural issues and deviating from past promises.
It also criticized the Government’s delays, which have exacerbated critical conditions at registrar offices, plagued by “generalized service delays” and insufficient effective measures.
According to Monday’s note, “the vast majority of services operate with insufficient human resources,” with some registrar offices experiencing such severe shortages that they have shut down. The shortfall includes 146 Conservators and 1,987 Registration Officials, representing a 40% deficit of required staff.
The Queluz Civil Registry Office (Sintra), in one of the most populous areas of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, has been closed since June 2 this year due to staff shortages. The office was designed to have two Conservators and seven Registration Officials, but currently lacks the personnel to remain operational. The platform considers this closure a failure by the State to fulfill its public service duties, limiting access to essential services for citizens and businesses and exacerbating territorial inequalities and contextual costs.
