According to data sent by the company to Ppulse, the strike of CP employees resulted in the cancellation of 59 of 253 scheduled trains (23.3% of the total) between 00:00 and 08:00 today.
CP – Comboios de Portugal reports that of the 66 scheduled regional trains, 22 connections were not made, and of the 115 scheduled urban trains in Lisbon, 26 were cancelled.
In Oporto’s urban trains, 52 were planned for that time period, but six were canceled; in long-distance trains, 11 of the 12 planned connections were carried out.
From the seventh hour of service until Sunday, CP employees whose normal work period spans more than three hours between 00:00 and 05:00 will be on strike.
At Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), workers whose normal working hours span more than three hours between 00:00 and 05:00 will go on strike beginning with the seventh hour of service and continuing until Sunday.
These strikes were called by a coalition of trade unions, including ASCEF – Associaco Sindical das Chefias Intermediais de Exploraco Ferroviária; SINFB – Sindicato Nacional dos Ferroviários Brasileiros e Afins; SINFA – Sindicato Independente dos Trabalhadores Ferroviários, das Infraestruturas e Afins; FENTECO
The National Union of Portuguese Railroad Train Drivers (SMAQ) is also on strike due to the company’s alleged “disregardful attitude” throughout the month.
Among the demands of the employees are “effective wage increases,” “valorization of the traction career,” and the improvement of working conditions in the driver’s cabs and social facilities, as well as safety conditions on the lines and in the engine rooms.
The workers are also requesting a “humanization of the work schedules, controlled meal times, and a reduction of rest periods away from headquarters,” a “effective protocol for psychological support of drivers in the case of collisions with people on the track and accidents,” and the “recognition and valorisation of the professional and training requirements of drivers within the new legislative framework.”
