The participation was reported by a representative of the Lisbon district municipality in response to requests for information.
The Union of Local Administration Workers (STAL) indicated that participation in the strike was around 75%, referring to the three shifts starting at 8:30 PM on Sunday, and at 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM today. The strike predominantly involved workers in the cleaning and urban hygiene departments of the Cascais Municipal Environment Company (EMAC), owned by the municipality and operating under the brand Cascais Ambiente.
A source from the Cascais Municipal Council noted a meeting scheduled for April 30, aiming “to listen to the workers and improve all aspects that contribute to the social well-being of all employees,” reiterating the management’s availability “to meet with the union at any time.”
Regarding the workers’ demands, it was stated that while some are “already being implemented, others cannot be negotiated because they threaten the company’s viability.”
Early in the morning, during statements, Cátia Nunes, a leader of STAL Lisbon, stated that workers had been gathered since about 3:30 AM at the company’s entrance in Alcoitão.
Cátia Nunes acknowledged that many of the workers on strike “work more than 40 hours weekly” and mentioned a disparity within the company, as some employees work 35 hours.
Through this 48-hour protest, the employees “demand respect and professional recognition, requiring the company to establish a Company Agreement (AE) with STAL, ending an unacceptable wait of years,” the leader explained.
The desired AE aims to be “completed as quickly as possible,” featuring “a work schedule of 35 hours, five days a week, with two consecutive days off.”
Currently, in general, employees “work six days a week without any compensation and only have one weekly rest day.” Additionally, “they lack career progression plans.”
Demands include decent salary increases, career progression, and the application of the hardship, unhealthiness, and risk bonus.
Among the demands is a call for “transparent regulation” of the criteria for awarding performance bonuses and paying the additional compensation owed for overtime work provided before the 2012 labor code amendments.
In the announcement of the strike, STAL also indicated that these workers receive “a monthly bonus that is not regulated and could be revoked at any moment, without known criteria.”
