Four Portway unions have jointly announced an all-out strike in Portugal scheduled for July 30 and 31, as well as August 5 and 6.
As reported by local media, starting from July 19, there will be a strike affecting all overtime workers, and from August 1, holidays will also be impacted by the strike, with both strikes planned to continue indefinitely, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The announcement of the strike was made by four Portway unions, namely ITAVA, SINDAV, STHA, and SIMAMEVIP. These unions represent employees of Portway, a ground-handling services company within the Vinci group, operating at Portuguese airports.
The unions have issued a statement accusing the company of unilaterally changing the calculation method for holiday payments, contrary to the agreed spirit of the AE2020 (Company Agreement in 2020). According to the unions, the company altered the coefficient from 1.50 to 0.50 for holiday payment calculations after eight months of implementing the AE2020.
As explained, the Company Agreement stipulates that work carried out on a public holiday, considered a regular working day, should entitle employees to a 50 per cent increase in their corresponding remuneration.
“From the very beginning, these four unions sought, in the most varied ways, for Portway to recognise our reason and return to payment following the negotiating spirit”, the unions stated.
In addition, the same also concluded that there is no alternative but to proceed with various strikes. According to their statement, the strikes will include:
- All overtime work will be on strike from July 19 onwards indefinitely
- Work on public holidays considered regular working days will be on strike starting from August 1 indefinitely.
- A total strike is planned for July 30 and 31, as well as August 5 and 6
Previously, in May of this year, Portuguese authorities had announced significant disruptions expected in rail traffic between Tuesday, May 30 and June 1.
In this regard, CP – Comboios de Portugal had informed customers who already hold tickets for Intercidades, Alfa Pendular, InterRegional, and Regional trains that they have the option to request a refund or exchange their tickets due to the expected disruptions caused by the strike.
During the same month, Jet2 airline issued a travel warning for individuals intending to travel from the United Kingdom to Portugal in May and throughout June.
The airline urged travellers to take note of the travel warning and consider potential implications or restrictions that may affect their travel arrangements.