On Sunday, participation in the strike was at about 60%, but it has risen to approximately 90% today, with nearly all workers of SMTUC joining in, reported Luísa Silva, regional coordinator of the Union of Local Administration Workers (STAL), in statements given to Agência Lusa earlier today.
Only six out of the 109 buses scheduled to operate today were on the streets, she added.
The strike has been planned since February, with a schedule of actions starting with one day and increasing every month until September, coinciding with local elections, amounting to 44 days of stoppage.
Workers are demanding the restoration of career tracks, additional vacation days, and salary improvements.
Luísa Silva mentioned that there has been no response from the Government or the Coimbra City Council.
Last week, SMTUC workers unanimously approved in a plenary session the continuation of the strike that began on Sunday, due to the “lack of responses from both the Government and the City Council [of Coimbra],” as stated by STAL leader João Soares at the time.
“The Government has already canceled two meetings. In one instance, they stated they were not yet the Government and had not been sworn in, and in the other, there was no power [one meeting was scheduled for the day following the blackout]. Now, we have a Government and we have power, but we don’t have any meetings scheduled,” João Soares reminded.
This is the fourth strike since February (only the four-day strike in April was suspended) and already represents 16 strike days completed by these workers in 2025.
Unions and employees are calling for the reinstatement of driver career paths and salary increases.
The low attractiveness of these careers has led to a shortage of drivers at SMTUC, with 44 positions remaining unfilled for 2025, despite having continuously open recruitment processes.
