“Due to the strike at Menzies (handling), so far, there have been some delays and 20 flights canceled (10 arrivals and 10 departures) at Humberto Delgado Airport,” stated a source from the airport management company.
ANA advises passengers on flights operated by Menzies, the company responsible for ground handling services, to contact their respective airline to confirm the flight status before heading to the airport.
Mid-morning, the leader of the Metal and Related Industries Workers Union (SIMA) Carlos Araújo highlighted that the strike mobilized, “for the first time in at least 10 years,” airport staff in Porto.
“In the Porto station, there hadn’t been strikes for 10 years, and there are people joining the strike,” he emphasized.
Carlos Araújo also predicted that today more flights would depart with only passengers, without luggage or cargo, after 25 such incidents by 18:00 on Friday.
In a statement, the union also accused SPdH/Menzies of “flagrantly violating the right to strike” in an attempt to “neutralize the effects of the stoppage,” resorting to “illegal practices” such as “forcibly advancing shifts and calling workers on their days off,” “replacing strikers with temporary agency workers,” and “abusive reorganization of schedules.”
“SIMA is gathering evidence of these illegalities and will file formal complaints with the Authority for Working Conditions (ACT) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, demanding accountability from the leaders of Menzies/SPdH,” it states.
Called by SIMA and the Transport Workers Union (ST), the protest began at 00:00 on Friday and continues until 24:00 on Monday.
This is the first of five four-day strikes scheduled for weekends until early September.
In August, the strike periods are scheduled for August 8 to 11, 15 to 18, 22 to 25, and from August 29 to September 1.
The workers’ demands include ending base salaries below the national minimum wage, payment of night hours, better salary conditions, and maintaining access to the parking lot under the same previous terms.
The Arbitration Court determined minimum services for assistance to all flights related to critical security situations, emergency, military, and state flights, and TAP flights on ‘night-stop’ at European hubs, as well as regular connections between Lisbon and the Azores and Madeira, and between Porto and the archipelagos.
