About twenty TVDE drivers (Transport of passengers in uncharacterized vehicles from an electronic platform) carried out a slow march this Wednesday in Lisbon to demand better working conditions and greater supervision of the activity.
The protest, organized by the TVDE Movement, brought together around two dozen drivers which started from Parque das Nações, passed through the Lisbon Airport, Avenida da República, Marquês de Pombal, Largo do Rato (PS headquarters) and ended next to the Ministry of the Environment (Rua do Século).
About two hours before the vehicles passed by the Ministry of the Environment, which oversees the sector, some representatives began to gather in the surrounding area with signs asking review of the legal regime (in force since 2018) that regulates the activity of TVDE.
In statements to the Lusa agency, Isidro Miranda, from the Portuguese Road and Urban Transport Workers Union (STRUP), admitted proceed with a complaint to the European Ombudsman if the Portuguese Government does not review the law and “put an end to the abuses” that occur in the activity.
This sector cannot continue working in dumping. The accounts were presented to the State approximately two years ago and nothing has been done so far. You just have to go to a complaints portal and we see that people no longer feel safe getting into a car like that,” he pointed out.
Dumping It is a commercial practice that consists of negotiating products, goods or services at prices. extraordinarily below its fair valuevery often below cost.
The union leader also criticized the existence of TVDE drivers carry out the activity without “speaking Portuguese”defending the need for a Portuguese language exam to allow access to the profession in Portugal.
TVDE businessman Adrián Reis, heard by Lusa, also complained about the working conditions in the sector, considering that it cannot “I received salary for three months”.
I have a small company with three cars and, to cover the contributions and everything necessary to keep the cars running, I end up not raising the company’s salary. I haven’t withdrawn my salary for three or four months to have liquidity and be able to pay insurance, maintenance and taxes,” he said.
In February, the Environment Minister said in parliament that the “Uber Law” review process will take place once changes to the Decent Work Agenda have been completed and European Union measures are known. for the sector.
Duarte Cordeiro, who was speaking at the hearing of the Economy, Public Works, Planning and Housing Commission, highlighted that “it does not seem to make sense” to move forward with the review of the law without knowing the specific proposals.
The Government postponed until this year the changes in the specific laws that regulate the activity of taxis and the TVDE (Individual and Remunerated Transportation of Travelers in Vehicles Not Characterized by Electronic Platform).
Currently, four years after the “Uber Law”, published in the Diário da República in August 2018, there are three platforms operating in the country: Uber, Bolt and FREENOW, the latter created from MyTaxi (taxi transportation service via a mobile phone application). ) and which also integrates the TVDE of the former Kapten.
Source: Observadora
