Contacting the Lusa agency about the effects of the strike on its network of 37 museums, monuments, palaces, and sites, an official source from Museus e Monumentos de Portugal (MMP) stated that by the end of the morning, only the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Lisbon had been reported closed.
The public company announced on its website that visitors who have pre-purchased tickets for a site within its network and find it closed can exchange them for another date or receive a full refund by emailing in**@********et.pt.
Also contacted by Lusa, the president of SITOPAS, Jaime Santos, mentioned that by the end of the morning, there was a high adherence to the strike in the cultural sector, with “between 80% and 90% in some museums across the country.”
SITOPAS organized a two-day strike for central, regional, and local public administration workers on Thursday and today. This action was primarily due to the government’s draft proposal for labor legislation reform, which “removes rights and increases worker precariousness,” explained the union leader to Lusa.
Jaime Santos also criticized Prime Minister Luís Montenegro’s remarks on the potential increase of the national minimum wage to 1,600 euros, describing them as “disrespectful to workers.”
Among the demands from SITOPAS-affiliated workers for the protest are guarantees for the general retirement fund for all, a meal subsidy to nine euros, the valuation of technical assistants and senior technicians, reinstatement of career pathways and functional content in all public services, reduction of the retirement age to 62 years with 36 years of contributions, and the decrease of ADSE contributions to 1.5% for 12 months.
On Thursday, a general strike was held, the first called by CGTP and UGT in 12 years, affecting sectors such as transport, schools, hospitals, and health centers.
