Em statements this morning to reporters near the ML station at Campo Grande, Mariana Leitão highlighted the conflict between the right to strike and the public’s right to transportation.
“When there is a strike, the right to strike prevails over all other rights,” she noted, emphasizing the need for “genuine minimum services, [so] people have real alternatives, and are not ignored, forgotten, or mistreated whenever a group of unions decides to strike.”
“It is truly disgraceful how people are treated. There is a partial strike, I know, but the truth is, it affects peak hours. Just look at the chaos to see that people do not have real alternatives. Often, people are not even informed there will be a strike. They arrive at the metro and find the doors closed and then see endless lines and completely packed buses, because they have no other option,” she stated.
The IL president stressed that the situation “is unacceptable,” advocating for both the right to strike and the public’s right to transportation to be upheld.
“The truth is, people currently cannot access [transportation] or do so in a completely undignified manner, with people scrambling to board the buses,” she remarked.
The Lisbon metro operations are suspended this morning and stations are closed due to a workers’ strike, with reopening expected at 10:30.
Metro workers decided to maintain the partial strikes scheduled for today and Thursday, following a meeting held Monday night where the company’s proposals were rejected.
Following an inconclusive assembly on Monday afternoon, workers reconvened at 23:30, where they rejected the company’s proposal and chose to continue with the partial strikes, indicated Sara Gligó from the Federation of Transport and Communications Unions (FECTRANS).
Sara Gligó stated that today’s partial strike will proceed, leaving the possibility of Thursday’s scheduled strike open.
Today, in a statement, the Lisbon Metro expressed regret that the partial strike declared by the Workers’ Representative Organizations (ORTs) was not suspended.
“The company did everything possible to avoid these stoppages and remains committed to negotiating with workers to resolve these differences,” the note stated.
The stoppage will occur from 05:00 to 10:00 for operational workers, 07:00 to 12:00 for workshop sector workers, 07:30 to 12:30 for fixed and administrative sector workers, and 02:00 to 07:00 for night and track service workers.
According to Lisbon Metro, the arbitration tribunal did not decree minimum services for these partial strikes, and services will resume only from 10:30.
Demands include increased meal, holiday, and Christmas allowances, and changes in the maximum weekly working hours.
