The government guarantees dialogue with railway workers to avoid strikes like today’s at the checkpoint

The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, said this Friday that the way to avoid strikes at CP – Comboios de Portugal like today’s is dialogue.

Asked this Friday in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto district, about today’s strike at the CP, the first he has faced as Minister of Supervision, Miguel Pinto Luz said that he wants to “establish close lines from the very beginning dialogue.”

“This afternoon we will have a meeting with the trade unions, and this is necessary and objective. But we need to work further, that is, understand what the real needs are and maintain these lines of dialogue,” he continued.

The minister spoke after the opening ceremony of the extension of the yellow line (D) of the Porto metro between Santo Ovidio and Vila d’Este (Gaia), which took place today at the Manuel Leão station.

For Miguel Pinto Luz, “dialogue is fundamental: not only to proclaim dialogue, but also to actually establish these lines.”

“Workers have legitimate expectations, legitimate needs, and we, on the part of the government and the management of state-owned companies, must ensure that both sides are balanced, within reasonable limits and always remembering that there is a good side, which is in the public interest,” the minister stressed.

The CP workers’ strike, called by several unions, has “virtually full” support, according to the general secretary of the Federation of Transport and Communications Trade Unions (Fectrans), who points out that only a minimum amount of services have been carried out.

“What is the commercial part at the moment? [bilheteiras] CP is closed and there was a call that was programmed as minimal services. In addition, there is no more circulation and no workers at work,” José Manuel Oliveira told Lusa.

The person in charge, speaking on behalf of all the unions calling for this strike, also said that the workshops only start at 08:00 and the technical and administrative services start at 09:00, so only after these hours will they be able to have data on commitment in these places.

Until 08:00, Lusa was still unable to find out from the command post how many trains were suppressed.

On Thursday, CP – Comboios de Portugal warned that service disruptions were expected, especially until Saturday, and added that the strike could also affect services on the historic Douro train.

Customers holding tickets for travel on Alfa Pendular, intercity, international and interregional trains can request a full refund or exchange.

The arbitration court ordered a minimum service fee of 25%.

Workers are demanding their careers be valued, according to a document signed by more than 10 unions.

The court’s decision on this strike includes, in addition to the traditional minimum services for relief trains and the transport of dangerous and perishable goods, a list of trains that must be provided with security.