PORTUGAL’S LARGEST trade union, CGTP, called a general strike on May 30 to protest against cuts in social services, wages and job security.
The strike affected hospitals, schools and airports across Portugal. Numerous flights scheduled to land at Faro Airport were diverted to Seville causing chaos for hundreds of tourists who were stranded with no transport into the Algarve.
Outgoing flights were severely delayed particularly easyjet, Monarch and Transavia departures. Ryanair cancelled all its flights due to leave and arrive at Faro airport and one Channel Express flight to Leeds was cancelled.
An employee from Faro airport confirmed that they experienced delays and some flights scheduled to land at Faro had to be diverted to Seville.
Two easyjet flights from Liverpool and Nottingham scheduled to arrive in Faro at 9am yesterday morning landed in Seville. All the passengers on board were told to disembark and wait for a coach that would transport them to Faro. At midday, passengers were still waiting outside the Arrivals gates without information as to when they would be transferred to the Algarve. Shortly after, a bus arrived to take the passengers to Huelva, nearer to the Spanish border, where they waited to take another bus to Faro airport.
The leader of the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP), Manuel Carvalho da Silva, announced the day-long action earlier this month to encourage the government to change its economic and social policies.
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