The strike by CP workers, called by several unions, has already led to the cancellation of 540 trains, out of 669 scheduled, between 00:00 and 14:00 today, an official source from the transport company said.
As a result, the level of suppression already exceeded 80%, with the minimum services (129 trains) having been carried out.
According to CP – Comboios de Portugal, no long-distance trains ran, an operation for which no minimum services were decreed.
In the case of the regional service, 142 trains out of 172 scheduled were cancelled.
In Lisbon, the stoppage led to the cancellation of 235 trains out of 300 planned and in Oporto, 107 out of 139 scheduled trains were not run.
Only two trains out of an estimated 18 ran in Coimbra.
CP workers are holding a one-day strike today, to be repeated on Wednesday, called by various unions.
The Arbitration Court has decreed minimum services of 20% for urban and regional trains.
The Court of Arbitration’s decision covers the Regional and Interregional services (Minho, Douro, East, West, Beira Baixa and North lines – in the latter case to and from Coimbra/Entroncamento) and the Urban service (Azambuja, Coimbra and Guimarães lines).
“Customers who have already purchased tickets to travel on Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, International, Interregional and Regional trains will be reimbursed the full value of the ticket purchased, or will be able to exchange it free of charge for another train in the same category and class,” CP said in a statement.
These workers were already on strike on June 28.
For the unions, “it is unacceptable” that CP’s management, after having guaranteed that it would extend to all workers an agreement that was concluded with a union organization, wants to make this conditional on accepting the proposed career regulation.
The government, CP and the National Union of Portuguese Railway Train Drivers (SMAQ), which had called a strike between June 27 and July 14, which was suspended, recently reached an agreement.
The operator also reached an agreement with the Itinerant Commercial Revision Railway Union (SFRCI) regarding the revision of careers, including a wage increase of 1.5% and a rise in the meal allowance to 9.20 euros.
Fectrans argued that the proposal “increases the versatility of functions and does not value the salary scale”, which it said was a “strategic measure” to recruit new workers and retain current ones.
CP, for its part, accused the unions that called the strike taking place today and on Wednesday of “harming their members” by refusing to reach an agreement, according to a statement released today by the railway company.
