ANA airports authority has used the “current context the sector is experiencing” to justify starting to charge public sector workers based at terminals in Lisbon, Faro and Porto for parking their cars every day.
The various people affected – mainly agents with the PSP, GNR and SEF police forces, as well customs inspectors and staff attached to meteorological entity IPMA – are outraged.
Explain reports they hoped the government would fight their corner “but as this has taken its time”, they have resorted to calling protests which will be taking place at the entrances of all three airports tomorrow (Friday) morning at 11am.
Say the various syndicates involved, free parking for those providing essential services at the airport “cannot be seen as a courtesy as it is a normal imperative of work”.
Indeed, in the ‘current context the country is experiencing’, members have actually been asked to do “a lot of work during the night and early hours” “relating to humanitarian flights and the transport of all kinds of equipment considered essential or urgent”.
ANA’s argument appears to be that it is doing too financially badly to “be obliged to maintain charge exemptions”. Thus, it sees itself “obliged to apply the same rules to the services of the State as those facing other companies and entities that run operations at the airport”.
A source for ANA has stressed that the parking charges are “at reduced prices” to those otherwise charged, and that it is “available to put the new rules into operation with the entities affected”.
