An intercity train that was due to leave at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday from the Santa Apolónia station in Lisbon, bound for Braga, left almost an hour late after a group of workers from the CP bars —on strike since the beginning of the month due to wage arrears—occupying the track and preventing the circulation of the train.
The deputy of the Left Bloc Isabel Pires posted a photo of the protest on the social network Twitter.
“The 9:30 am train in Santa Apolonia is stopped. The workers in the train bars have not been paid for a month and a half. The CP continues without resolving the situation, the government does not say anything. Here we are, in solidarity with these 130 people without salary, ”he wrote in the message that accompanies a photograph where you can see some people above the line, right in front of the locomotive.
The 9:30 am train in Santa Apolónia is stopped. The workers in the train bars have not been paid for a month and a half. The CP continues without resolving the situation, the government does not say anything. Here we are, in solidarity with these 130 people without salary. pic.twitter.com/EiDkeenzHK
— Isabel Pires (@isabelruapires) March 18, 2023
Speaking to SIC Notícias, one of the passengers, João Xará, explained that the train should have left at 9:30 a.m., but ended up leaving only at 10:21 a.m. According to that passenger, in front of the Santa Apolónia station there was also a protest demanding salaries —and the only communication from CP to the affected passengers was a message, over the public address system, that the line was “obstructed”, without reference to the protest. .
The protest is just one more chapter of a strike that has been going on since the beginning of the month.
The approximately 130 workers who provide bar services on board CP trains are employees of Apeadeiro 2020, the concessionaire company for bars on trains.
The workers will not receive a salary for two months and have been on strike since March 1, which is why CP has already issued an alert saying that “due to the strike of the workers of the company that manages the concession of the bars on board the CP Largo Radio trains, it will not be possible to provide the cafeteria and bar service as of March 1 and for the duration of said strike.
“CP apologizes for the inconvenience caused and, as long as this situation persists, it will provide bottled water to all passengers,” CP also said in that alert.
The workers of the CP bars remain unresolved after meeting with the Government
The workers of Apeadeiro 2020 have organized several protests and, through the Federation of Trade Unions of Agriculture, Food, Beverages, Hospitality and Tourism of Portugal (Fesaht), have already met with the Government to try to reach a solution to the problem.
The main demand of the company’s workers is that CP terminate the contract with Apeadeiro 2020 and assume direct management of the bars.
Apeadeiro 2020, which is bankrupt, says that it intends to sign a new concession contract with CP and seek, with its creditors, the viability of the company.
Source: Observadora
