closed schools and hospitals at half gas these are some of the effects, in the Algarve, of the General Strike of the civil service today, 26th October.
Ao Sul Informação, Rosa Franco, from the Union of Workers in Public and Social Functions of the South and of the Autonomous Regions, said that "public services are strongly affected by the adhesion to the strike", not wanting to reveal numbers.
The Secondary Schools of Loulé and EB 2,3 Duarte Pacheco, in Loulé, the Secondary Tomás Cabreira and EB 2,3 D. Afonso III, in Faro, and EB 2,3 D. Manuel I, in Tavira, are some of the closed establishments, according to information provided by Rosa Franco. These are joined by the Sul Informação, the EB 2,3 School of Quarteira.
«In the Hospital of Faro, the external consultations are almost stopped. The Operating Room only works for emergencies and, for the rest, everything is guaranteed minimum services», he also said. The union member also received information that "the Finance and Social Security branches were going to close".
In Portimão, the effects of the strike are also making themselves felt. João Barnabé, from SINTAP – Union of Public Administration and Public Purpose Entities Workers, told the Sul Informação that “almost all schools are closed and, in the part of the local administration, the adhesion to the strike is 80%”.
At the Hospital "many services are closed," he added. Paula Vieira, from the same union, estimated a “90% adherence to the strike”.
Already in Faro, our newspaper found that the counter of the Chamber of Faro, in the Citizen's Shop, is closed, as is the Foreigners and Borders Service. In Finance, there was no one working at the service desks.
As for Lagos, the effects of the strike are also being felt. At the City Hall, the participation is high, but, even so, it is planned to hold the ceremony of formalization of the Twinning Agreement between that city and Ksar El Kebir (Alcácer Quibir, in Morocco).
This strike will also affect "a lot the collection of garbage" with the effects being noticed "more from today to tomorrow", said João Barnabé. In Portimão, for example, the strike «starts at 19 pm». At Algar, membership “is also large”.
The general strike of the civil service was called by the CGTP and UGT and is the first that the Government of António Costa has faced since it took office in 2015. The fact that there has not been a salary update in the public administration for 10 years is one of the reasons for the strike.
Photos: Pablo Sabater | Sul Informação
Comments