Train Services Suspended Due to Rail Workers' Strike
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Breakdown of the Strike
The significant stoppage kicked off at the stroke of midnight, with no trains rolling until 7 a.m., as announced by trade unionist António Lemos. The unwavering union strikers aimed to demand better work conditions for all employees within the company.
"After lengthy negotiations with the management of CP - Comboios de Portugal, we finally found common ground on salary increments for the current year. However, this agreement has been on hold since February 2025, awaiting the green light from government authorities," he explained.
CP - Comboios de Portugal issued a notice over the weekend, warning passengers about potential chaos due to a strike instigated by SFRCI - Sindicato Ferroviário da Revisão Comercial Itinerante, which represents inspectors, ticket office workers, and sales staff. The company warned that disruptions might persist even on Tuesday.
On Sunday, in a joint statement, representatives from 13 different union structures, including the SFRCI, accused the company of backing out on the negotiations justification being the non-approval of the government for the proposed agreement between the transport company and the workers.
The statement proposed a meeting on Saturday afternoon between CP and the unions, where "the president of the CP administration informed all union organizations that the government refused to authorize the administration to implement the last proposal," they stated.
According to the unions, this is an extraordinary scenario as the administration had put forth a counterproposal on Thursday, only to rescind it two days later and remove it from the negotiation table. They claimed they were willing to accept the conditions presented by the company on Thursday, as it could potentially address a persistent problem at CP, but now, there's no agreement.
"The president of the administration informed [the unions] that the Government rejected the proposal due to their inability to authorize the measures included within the agreement," reads the joint statement.
Neither CP nor the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing responded to Lusa's inquiries, except for Miguel Pinto Luz's ministry, which confirmed that the company's proposal does not fall within the government's jurisdiction in management.
According to the unions, CP's proposal involved a monthly increase starting from January 2025, followed by an additional 34 euros per management act. This would restore the difference with the SMN - National Minimum Wage of 2018, with variable increments dependent on each index, as well as a 4% increase for all workers in December 2025, and a amendment of the length of stay in the first index to one year, the second to two years, the third to three years, and the last to four years, starting in January of the current year.
In the statement, they also confirmed that the two-day strike on May 7th and 8th remains in force.
Enrichment Insights:
- After the strike's conclusion on May 14, 2025, there was a noticeable impact on regional and long-distance trains, while urban services in Lisbon and Porto remained relatively unaffected[1][5].
- The strikes were part of a broader labor movement involving train drivers and other CP union members, who were demanding salary increases, restructuring of salary scales, and protection of collective bargaining rights[3][5].
- During the strike period, an Arbitration Court ordered a minimum service level of 25% for all scheduled trains, helping CP to maintain a portion of its usual services[2][5].
- Although the specific reason for the delay in the government's approval of the proposed salary agreement is not publicly available, complex negotiations, disagreements over financial terms, or political context may have contributed to the delay[5].
- Politics in Portugal - The ongoing strike by CP - Comboios de Portugal employees, led by the SFRCI union, has been stalled since February 2025, awaiting approval from government authorities on matters of policy-and-legislation, including salary increments.
- General News: Europe - The two-day strike by Portuguese railway union, SFRCI, on May 7th and 8th, continues to impact news headlines across Europe, as the struggle for better work conditions and salaries in the CP - Comboios de Portugal company enters a critical phase of negotiations with the government.
