One immigration, borders service union suspends Thursday strike
The strike was suspended today, but that everything now depends on what is approved in the coming hours at a meeting of the Cabinet.
Portugal’s investigative and law enforcement union of the immigration and borders service, SCIF/SEF on Thursday suspended the first day of the strike planned until April 10 to await the decisions of the Cabinet on the restructuring of the service.
The leader of SCIF/SEF, Acácio Pereira, told Lusa that the strike was suspended today, but that everything now depends on what is approved in the coming hours at a meeting of the Cabinet, which has on its agenda the creation of the Portuguese agency for migration and asylum (APMA), which will replace the immigration and borders service (SEF).
According to the leader of the trade union, who gave notice of a strike between 6 and 10 April, coinciding with the Easter period, one of the concerns relates to the “diploma of transition” of SEF workers to APMA and other State bodies.
The strike by SEF inspectors threatened to cause major disruption at airports over the Easter period.
At stake in the SEF inspectors’ protest is the inclusion of immigration and borders service staff into the Judicial Police, the Institute of Registration and Notary Affairs (IRN) and the future APMA, as part of the restructuring process of that body, whose union negotiations with the government are still ongoing on the draft decree-law regulating the transfer of employees.
Meanwhile, the union of immigration and borders service employees (SINSEF), which includes employees with non-police duties, today maintains the two-day strike that began on Wednesday, also related to the future incorporation of these employees in other state bodies.
