The operator of national airports advises passengers with flights handled by Menzies, the company responsible for ground handling services, to contact their respective airline in advance to confirm flight status before heading to the airport.
Carlos Araújo, leader of the Metalworkers and Related Industries Union (SIMA), stated that by 3 p.m., at least 25 flights had departed with only passengers, leaving luggage and cargo behind.
“I believe that in some cases it is absolute chaos, as they have allowed passengers to board with luggage in an attempt to circumvent the situation,” he said.
SIMA represents about 4% of the approximately 3,600 Menzies workers, and according to the union leader, around 80% of its members joined the strike, along with workers from other unions.
The strike, called by SIMA and the Transport Workers Union (ST), began at 12:00 a.m. today and will continue until 11:59 p.m. Monday.
This is the first of five four-day strikes scheduled for weekends until early September.
In August, the strike periods are set for August 8 to 11, 15 to 18, 22 to 25, and August 29 to September 1.
Workers’ demands include ending base salaries below the national minimum wage, paying for night shifts, better salary conditions, and maintaining access to parking under previous conditions.
In a statement sent this afternoon to newsrooms, SIMA also reported “serious safety failures” in the services of SPdH/Menzies, such as having only one technician per boarding gate and workers without adequate training serving Delta airlines.
The union also warned of “unsafe” procedures, such as luggage loading requests made by phone between departments, which it considers a violation of airport security regulations.
According to the union, today about 30 flights reportedly left without loading luggage, which could cause “serious inconvenience” to passengers upon arrival.
In this regard, in the same statement, the union questions the absence of inspectors from the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) and the Authority for Labor Conditions (ACT) at airports and demands urgent intervention by the competent entities.
The Arbitration Tribunal determined minimum services for assisting all flights related to critical security situations, emergency, military, state flights, and TAP flights on night-stopover in Europe, as well as regular connections between Lisbon and the Azores and Madeira, and between Porto and the archipelagos.
