Adherence to the 24-hour strike of the workers of the Lisbon Municipal Mobility and Parking Company (EMEL) was around 90% at 08:50, according to a source from the Union of Commerce, Office and Services Workers of Portugal (CESP).
“As in the previous strike carried out on May 6, the adherence to unemployment in the operative sector, which is the most visible of EMEL, those on the street, is around 90%“, Orlando Gonçalves, from CESP, told Lusa.
The trade unionist also said that high levels of adherence are expected for the rest of the day, noting that the workers will gather from 9:30 am in the Marquês de Pombal area.
Contacted by Lusa, the company said it had no data available on unemployment at the moment.
EMEL workers are on strike demanding wage increases of 90 euros, after the company agreed to collect 25 euros with another union.
Speaking to Lusa on Tuesday, Orlando Gonçalves justified this strike with the fact that there was no response from the Lisbon Chamber and the EMEL administration to meet and discuss a new salary increase proposal.
According to the trade unionist, the administration managed to reach an agreement with the Service Sector Workers’ Union (SITESE) for a salary increase of 25 euros, a value rejected by CESP.
We consider that the proposed increase is insufficient. EMEL is capable of giving workers better raises. This year, in terms of income, they will reach pre-pandemic values (2019). The option has been not to value the workers,” he argued.
In a response letter sent to Lusa, EMEL assured that the company “has made an effort to meet the demands of the unions that represent the workers” and alluded to the agreement reached with SITESE, which resulted in an increase of 25 euros to all workers and “at 5% of the allowance for work shifts for workers who work 24 hours a day”.
“It should be noted that EMEL left for these negotiations with the unions with a proposal for an initial increase of 15 euros in a general way, having closed the negotiations with the obtaining of the SITESE agreement for an increase of 25 euros, in the molds already exposed. Unfortunately, CESP did not sign the agreement”, says the company.
The note also mentions that the activity of the company “has been affected in the last two years, with significant losses, derived from the paralysis of the activity”, a situation that “forced the transfer of funds from the municipality” to the company.
In turn, also in a response sent to Lusa, a Lisbon City Hall source said that the executive “believes that the negotiations between the EMEL administration and the workers’ representatives must continue, in order to reach a agreement that satisfies all partiesregardless of the union in question.
EMEL workers had carried out a 24-hour strike on May 6, with around 90% adherence, according to the unions, and less than 30%, according to the company.
Source: Observadora
