The various strikes that affected the operation of CP caused the suppression, between 00:00 and 12:00 this Monday, of 91 trains out of a total of 559 planned, according to information sent by the rail carrier.
Thus, in this period 468 compositions circulated, according to the same data.
In the long journey, of a total of 31 trains, two were cancelled, while in the regional service, 39 trains out of the 135 scheduled did not run.
In Lisbon’s urban trains, of the estimated 270 trains, 36 were cancelled, and in Porto, of the 108 planned, 10 did not run. Coimbra, four trains out of the 15 planned were cancelled.
The National Union of Machinists of the Portuguese Railways (SMAQ) called a strike at CP, throughout the month of April, due to the “autistic and inconsiderate attitude” of which it accuses the company.
Strikes on the railway begin this Tuesday and last until the end of April
Among the demands of the workers are “effective salary increases” and “valuation of the haulage career” and the improvement of working conditions in the driver’s cabs and social facilities and the safety conditions on the roads and parks for the protection of motorized equipment.
It is still claimed to be a “humanisation of duty rosters, fixed times for meals and reduction of rest periods away from headquarters“, an “effective psychological monitoring protocol for train drivers in the event of entrapment of people on the track and accidents” and the “recognition and assessment of the professional and training requirements of train drivers by the new legislative framework”.
This strike, which does not have any days of total strike, continues to cause disturbances, focusing on workdays greater than 7:30 am or overtime.
On the other hand, several unions started new strikes in the rail sector on March 28, including Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) and CP until the end of the month. including a 24-hour day, next Thursday.
According to a statement from a platform of unions, with representation in CP and IP, between March 28 and Tuesday there will be a strike in IP from 00:00 to 02:00 and until April 30 the unions will strike in IP and CP from the eighth hour of service.
In addition, until the end of the month, “in CP, workers whose normal work day covers more than three hours in the period between 0:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., will go on strike from the seventh hour of service” and, between April 10 and 30, in the IP, “Workers whose normal working day covers more than three hours in the period between 00:00 and 05:00, will go on strike after the seventh hour of service.” On April 6, the strike will last 24 hours.
The unions that make up this platform are ASCEF – Union Association of Intermediate Railway Operations Managers; SINFB – National Union of Railway Workers of Braçais and Allied; SINFA – Independent Union of Railway, Infrastructure and Allied Workers; FENTECOP – National Union of Transport, Communications and Public Works; SIOFA – Independent Union of Railway Workers and the like; ASSIFECO – Independent Trade Union Association of Commercial Railway Workers and STF – Railway Technical Services.
According to the unions, “on April 6, if the minimum services are not established, it is not expected that trains will be carried out in Portugal”.
“Responsibility for the impact, whether financial or social, derived from these forms of struggle will be the full responsibility of the Government, which, by not negotiating with the unions, ignores the IP and CP workers and disrespects the Portuguese citizens who they use public transport on the railway every day”, they lament.
Source: Observadora
