Employees of rail operator, infrastructure company strike for more pay

Employees of CP – Comboios de Portugal, the country’s state-owned rail operator, and Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), which oversees its transport infrastructure, are on strike on Friday, to press for wage increases and a strengthening of hiring.

CP warned of likely “major disturbances” in train services nationwide.

In information available on its website (www.cp.pt) the company said that the Court of Arbitration of the Economic and Social Council – Portugal’s tripartite industrial relations forum – had ordered a skeleton service with around 25% of the total supply of services, and that the effects of the strike could extend into the early hours of Saturday morning.

Fertagus, the operator that runs the rail link over Lisbon’s 25 de Abril Bridge, also said that services would be constrained by the strike, as it would be limited to 25% of the usual timetables. Due to the constraints, the circulation of trains between 9.43 a.m. and 3.43 p.m. in a north-south direction and between 8.58 a.m and 2.58 p.m. in the south-north direction were suspended.

“Outside these periods, the circulation of Fertagus trains will continue to be constrained, so it is advisable to consult the timetables at www.fertagus.pt,” the company said, lamenting the disruptions and suggesting the use of alternative means of transport.

The government’s failure to respond to the demands of the Federation of Transport and Communications Unions (Fectrans) and other unions was the reason for the strike, according to unions.

Calls to hire more workers, measures for the “harmonization of work rules” in the two companies, and “a timetable for negotiation of the revision of collective bargaining” are among points on which they had demanded a response.