The workers “are joining” the strike in the first and last two hours of each service in Urban Transport of Coimbra, the union leader said on Monday, noting that the fight has caused delays on several lines.
“The balance is frankly positive, in view of what we expected,” Manuel Oliveira, director of the National Union of Drivers and Other Workers (SNMOT), told Lusa.
The strike at the Municipal Urban Transport Services of Coimbra (SMTUC) began this Monday and will last until August 7, applying the first two hours and the last two hours of each service for all the operational assistants of that entity.
Refusing to talk about adherence percentages, Manuel Oliveira stressed that “The workers join this form of struggle”feeling the impact “in the operational part of the company”.
“Users’ waiting time doubled on some lines,” stressed Manuel Oliveira, explaining that the delays recorded depend “on the length of the route” and its regularity.
The type of strike was designed to “try to mitigate the effects of it for those who use the SMTUC,” he stressed.
This action of struggle arises after the breach by the SMTUC of the agreement signed between the workers and that municipal structure in January, regarding the working day.
What is at stake is the fact that drivers start their work in one place and finish their daily work in a different place, and the agreement indicates that the time between the start and finish place must be included in the work schedule.
Now we hope to solve the problems with the administration of the SMTUC. There is dialogue and it is high, but the workers want results”, stressed Manuel Oliveira.
The Lusa agency asked the Coimbra City Council for clarification on the impact of the strike, but to no avail.
However, the municipality recently mentioned that it regrets “the inconvenience caused by the strike” to SMTUC users and stressed that no rights have been withdrawn from Coimbra Urban Transport workers.
Noting that in eight years there have been no strikes at the SMTUC, the municipality confirmed that, “after nine months of management in the City Council”, the current executive faces a strike, despite his “total and constant availability for the dialogue”. .
“The only unfulfilled requirement presented by the SNMOT, if accepted, would bring enormous and unbearable economic impacts for the SMTUC, when they already face a deficit of more than 2 million euros (in addition to the 6.8 million already assumed by the Chamber). . of Coimbra)”, he added.
Source: Observadora
