The intermunicipal public company TMP, managing the Unir network concessions, announced the cancellation of the strike organized by Fectrans – the Federation of Transport and Communications Unions, originally scheduled for September 26 and 29.
The Road and Urban Transport Workers Union of Portugal (STRUP), affiliated with Fectrans, confirmed that workers decided to suspend the strikes planned for those dates.
The decision reflects the workers’ respect for users, demanding that Unir urgently oversee and intervene with operators such as Auto Viação Feirense, Lda., and Transportes Beira Douro Lda. [a subsidiary of Feirense], to organize and ensure transport safety.
The union has called for Unir’s intervention, managed by Transportes Metropolitanos do Porto, as well as a meeting with the Directorate-General for Employment and Labour Relations (DGERT) to enforce previous agreements.
Workers emphasize that the companies bear responsibility for the working conditions, safety for both employees and users, and issues surrounding insufficient meal subsidies and fair wage increases without discrepancies in pay.
On Monday, Auto Viação Feirense employees announced a strike on Friday and September 29, prompted by unsustainable schedules in lot 4 of the Unir network, which they claim compromise safety and require urgent revisions.
This decision emerged from a meeting at Feirense’s Lourosa facility in Santa Maria da Feira, involving about 100 drivers operating between Vila Nova de Gaia and Espinho within the Porto Metropolitan Area public transport network.
According to Fectrans’ Hélder Borges, current schedules are incompatible with safe operations, and maintenance standards are unacceptable.
Borges emphasized the need for the strike to prompt adequate oversight before any tragedy occurs, stressing responsibility on both Unir for setting infeasible schedules and Feirense for committing to them regardless of safety concerns. He criticized regulatory bodies, including the Authority for Working Conditions and the Mobility and Transport Institute, for failing to effectively oversee these issues.
When contacted, Transportes Metropolitanos do Porto stated, “We have not identified any schedules that are unworkable. All allotted times are entirely feasible.”
Regarding other points raised by Fectrans, Unir responded that it is uninvolved, as it holds no responsibility for the drivers’ work schedules or the alleged workload excess.
Efforts to reach Feirense, which operates the Beira Douro brand and also serves Unir in Gaia and Espinho, went unanswered.
