The Liberal Initiative wants rail transport users to be able to participate in decisions on minimum services related to strikes, considering that their perspectives can make arbitral tribunal decisions “more inclusive, participatory and democratic”.
In a bill to which the Portuguese agency had access and which aims to “include rail transport users in decisions on minimum services”, the party led by Rui Rocha affirms that, “according to the law currently in force, the minimum services in companies of the State business sector can be established by the decision of an arbitral tribunal“.
This court of arbitration is usually composed of arbitrators appointed by the workers and employers, respectively. However, in the case of the minimum services related to rail passenger transport, the law does not guarantee the participation of transport users”, he justifies.
In IL’s analysis, “these citizens, who are often totally dependent on rail service for their trips to work and home, are severely disadvantaged by the lack of rail transportation.”
The current arbitration processes do not give a voice to these citizens, whose perspectives could enrich the decisions to be taken by the arbitral tribunal, making them more inclusive, participatory and democratic”, he argues.
For this reason, the liberals consider it “essential to guarantee that the functioning of the arbitral tribunal that decrees minimum services in rail transport to allow the intervention of user representativessuch as representative associations of people with disabilities and/or reduced mobility, user committees and consumer associations”.
IL defends, in the justification of its bill, that it would comply with article 60 of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, according to which “the consumer associations must be heard on issues related to consumer protection.
Along with this bill, the Liberals are also advancing, according to information provided to Lusa, with two draft resolutions (without the force of law), one of which defends “a competitive rail passenger transport service that meets the parameters of the public rail passenger service”.
In this legislative initiative, IL recommends, among others, that “take the necessary steps to start the market prospecting process for the Comboios de Portugal sub-concession, EPE safeguarding the public railway service concession contract signed between the company and the Government”.
The other draft resolution asks the Government to “correct the shortcomings of the National Railway Plan and review the respective multi-year investment plans.”
Source: Observadora
