A strike by dock workers that had been ongoing since last September has been called off.
The workers had been protesting against government measures regarding a new labour regime for ports.
Although the strike was due to continue until January 7, the union representing dock workers in the centre and south of Portugal decided to end the strike on December 28. The Secretary of State for Transport, Sérgio Monteiro, said the cancellation of the strike did not result from any type of compensation from the government and praised the workers’ “sense of responsibility”.
Ports affected by the strike were those of Lisbon, Setúbal, Aveiro and Figueira da Foz. Portugal’s export sector has been severely affected by the strike, which has led to millions of euros being lost in trade. Entrepreneurs had recently called on the government to intervene by applying drastic measures to revert the situation.
A press statement by the dock workers’ union was due to be released stating the reasons why the strike had been cancelled.
