The potential loss of the SPdH tender could lead to prolonged instability and turbulence at airports, a situation deemed undesirable by all parties, according to a joint statement from the unions. They stress that the uncertainty should not extend beyond the year’s end, as it poses a risk of dismantling SPdH, affecting jobs and workers’ rights.
For Sitava and STHAA, the only scenario that guarantees all jobs across categories and airports is SPdH winning the tender.
The preliminary report on the handling services tender at Lisbon, Porto, and Faro airports—released by the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC)—ranks Clece/South, part of the Iberia group, first with 95.2523 points, while Menzies, the current provider, scores 93.0526.
Menzies has expressed discontent, challenging the results despite submitting a proposal deemed to ensure operational excellence and employing over 3,500 workers.
In response, the government extended Menzies’ existing licenses until May 19, 2026, to ensure service continuity during the ongoing tender process by ANAC.
Infrastructure and Housing Minister Miguel Pinto Luz cites the complexity of the process—a limited public tender with candidate qualification, proposal submission, and license awarding phases—as the reason for the delay in concluding the proposal analysis.
The unions have been informed by the government that despite the six-month license extension, the final report is expected by mid-December.
In discussions with the Clece/South consortium, the government raised the option for TAP to proceed with self-handling if SPdH does not win the licenses, impacting only Lisbon and possibly Porto, with TAP absorbing a necessary workforce percentage (1,600 in Lisbon and 180 in Porto).
Clece/South, however, intends to acquire the licenses and continue operations, regardless of TAP’s self-handling measures.
The unions add that according to the government’s understanding and that of the Ministry of Labor and ANAC, there’s no basis for workplace transition as the matter involves only certain worker categories and not full airport operations.
The government indicated that if SPdH loses the tender, it might pursue legal action to protect against creditors taking judicial steps, a process that could extend for two to three years.
Sitava and STHAA report that in their meeting with Clece/South representatives, it was made clear there could be no written commitments or guarantees regarding jobs or acquired rights at this stage, as nothing has been secured yet.
The unions plan to initiate various actions in the coming days to protect almost 4,000 jobs, the enterprise agreement, and commitments made by Menzies for 2026.
