Participation in the 24-hour strike by Carris workers, drivers and brakemen for wage increases and a 35-hour work week exceeded 90% at around 8 a.m., union leader Manuel Leal told Lusa.
“I can’t give an exact number of members yet, but we clearly have more than 90% of members,” Manuel Leal, from the Union of Road and Urban Transport Workers of Portugal (STRUP), told Lusa, praising “all the drivers and brakemen” who have been working since 10pm last night [quarta-feira] are massively joining these 24-hour strike.”
According to the unionist, Around 8 a.m., few buses and trams were circulating. in relation to what should be the normal service provided.
“We will have a plenary session, a meeting at Pontinha station, around 10:30 am, to discuss the situation and the measures to be taken in the process of developing the struggle to achieve the demands,” he said.
Carris workers, drivers and brakemen, are carrying out a 24-hour strike this Thursday in protest against the lack of response from the administration to demands for a real increase in wages and progress towards a 35-hour work week.
Carris workers on strike this Thursday for a wage increase and a 35-hour workday
The strike was started by the network workers from dawn until 10 pm on Wednesdaywhile for the rest of the transit workers it began at 3 a.m. this Thursday.
According to STRUP, linked to the Federation of Transport and Communications Unions (FECTRANS), the fixed sectors are in Strike between 00:00 and 23:59 this Thursday.
The union stresses that all workers who start their working day before midnight on Thursday, or whose longest working period falls on this date, are covered by the strike notice.
The union structure establishes that Arbitration Court decreed minimum services for the strike, considering necessary, in particular, the operation of exclusive transport for disabled people, the emergency room and the medical post.
According to STRUP, the Arbitration Court did not accept the company’s proposal, which wanted “maximum service” with the circulation of buses.
At the last plenary session, on June 19, the workers considered it “unacceptable that the Board of Directors of Carris (CA) continues to fail to respond to constant demands”, despite the “net profit of 9.5 million euros” assumed by the company in the report and accounts for 2023.
Among the demands, The workers are demanding a 100 euro pay rise, an increase in the value of the food allowance, and an increase to 35 hours per week.including travel time to and from delivery locations, and the pass to the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.
At the last plenary session, STRUP was given the mandate to continue the struggle process with a strike during the first two hours and the last two hours of the daily workday, during the week of July 15-19.
Source: Observadora
