The workers of ML conducted a partial strike on Monday, which, as per unions, saw significant participation. The strike will be repeated on Thursday, without minimum services, as they demand increases in meal, holiday, and Christmas allowances, and changes to the maximum weekly work schedule.
Today, in a statement, ML reiterated that it has sought to establish a constructive dialogue with workers’ representative organizations from the outset.
“Sensitive to the demands presented, the company advanced with two carefully structured negotiation proposals, based on the principles of the 2023 Company Agreement and compliance with the current legal framework,” the statement said.
According to the carrier, the proposals include improvements in working conditions, valuing professional categories, and reducing the number of weekly working hours, framed within a broader strategy of technological modernization and reinforcement of organizational efficiency.
For ML’s Board of Directors, “these solutions constitute a solid, balanced, and robust package, capable of contributing to overcoming the acceptance of the representative organizations and ensuring simultaneously labor stability, professional appreciation, and the economic sustainability of the company.”
The company argues the strike is “unjustified,” given that the “solutions presented already represent a robust and consistent commitment, capable of ensuring significant gains and advances for workers in terms of professional appreciation, better working conditions, and greater work-life balance.”
Therefore, the carrier appeals to the “common sense of the trade unions, emphasizing that serious and responsible dialogue is the only path capable of ensuring fair benefits for workers, stability for the company, and the provision of quality public transport services.”
Workers decided on Monday to continue with the strikes following a plenary session in which the company’s proposals were rejected.
The strike was scheduled from 5:00 am to 10:00 am for operations workers, from 7:00 am to 12:00 pm for maintenance sector workers, from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm for fixed and administrative sector workers, and from 2:00 am to 7:00 am for night and track service workers.
The arbitration court did not mandate minimum services for these partial strikes.
The Lisbon Metro operates daily with four lines: Yellow (Rato-Odivelas), Green (Telheiras-Cais do Sodré), Blue (Reboleira-Santa Apolónia), and Red (Aeroporto-São Sebastião).
The service usually starts at 6:30 am, but the company indicated that the strike would cause a delay in the opening until about 10:30 am, which was confirmed on Monday.
