CP – Comboios de Portugal warned today of “major disruptions” in rail traffic between Tuesday and June 1, due to the strike called for Wednesday by unions SFRCI, SINFA and SNTSF.
“We inform you that due to the strike called by the SFRCI, SINFA and SNTSF unions, for the period between 00:00 and 23:59 on May 31, 2023, major disruptions in rail traffic are expected in all services, with possible impact on the days before and after the strike period, May 30 and June 1,” says CP in an information sent to customers.
“If minimum services are defined by the arbitral tribunal, this information will be updated,” the operator adds.
CP informs that customers who have already purchased tickets to travel on Alfa Pendular, Intercity, International, InterRegional and Regional trains may request a refund of the total value of the ticket or its free replacement for another train of the same category and class.
The refund or exchange can be made at the ticket office or at myCP, in the “Your Tickets” area (for tickets purchased at the online ticket office or CP application), up to 15 minutes before the departure of the train from the customer’s station of origin.
After this deadline, and up to 10 days after the end of the strike, the refund can be requested by filling out the ‘online’ contact form “Refund for Delay or Suppression”, with the submission of the scan of the original ticket.
Last week, the Itinerant Commercial Review Railway Union (SFRCI) and SNTSF/FECTRANS called a 24-hour strike for May 31 at CP.
In a statement released on May 15, the SFRCI said that “on behalf of CP railroad workers,” it has given a 24-hour strike notice for May 31, 2023.
“The management of this union, following a meeting with the administration of CP held on May 10, 2023, upon becoming aware of the terms of the agreement made between it and the drivers’ union, verified that this agreement calls into question the agreement made between the Ministry of Infrastructure, IMT, CP with the SFRCI together with other TSOs [workers’ representative organizations] in 2018, with regard to the safety rules of train circulation,” reads the same note.
The next day, on May 16, also the National Union of Railway Sector Workers (SNTSF) and the Federation of Transport and Communications Unions (Fectrans) called a 24-hour strike for the last day of May, demanding the reopening of the negotiation process to increase workers’ wages.
“The SNTSF/FECTRANS delivered yesterday [May 15], a strike notice for CP, with a duration of 24 hours for the next May 31st,” said the unions in a statement released at the time.
The reasons given for the strike are the reopening of the negotiation process, the increase in wages that will restore the lost purchasing power, the valuation of professional careers, the hiring of workers and against the destruction of jobs and the fulfillment of the agreement of July 22, 2018, concerning the functions in Single Agent.
