A week of strike action by members of the Transport and Communications Workers’ Trade Unions Federation (FECTRANS) has caused widespread disruption throughout the country, with train, bus and ferryboat companies providing only the minimum services required.
One walkout closed Lisbon and Porto’s underground tube networks and left other transport services temporarily unavailable.
Tomorrow (March 9), between 2.30pm and 5pm, transport workers will participate in a demonstration in Lisbon’s Largo Camões. The protest is against cuts in overtime hours, public holidays, privatisations and other neglected workers’ rights.
On Monday, the Soflusa ferryboat workers’ strike affected the river connection between Lisbon and Barreiro from 1.25pm to 4.50pm. The same day, trains from Comboios de Portugal (CP) also stopped because of strike action between 6am and 11.59am, while the CP Carga (commercial) held a 24-hour strike.
Carris buses in Lisbon will stop today (March 8) between 8am and 5.30pm and in the morning a protest of workers will be held outside the Ministry of Economy.
