The National Union of Drivers of the Portuguese Railways (SMAQ) announced today a new strike at CP, throughout the month of April, in the face of the “autistic and disregard attitude” of which it accuses the company.
“Having neither guardianship nor CP in this interregnum, in an autistic attitude and disregard for workers and the difficulties that they and their families are going through in these times of galloping inflation, taking any steps to resolve the ongoing labor conflict, there is no train drivers another path if the struggle does not continue”, sustains the union in a statement.
According to the SMAQ, “even issues that require urgent resolution and that depend exclusively on the CP are not resolved”.
Thus, from the 01st to the 30th of April, workers in the driver or technical driver categories will be on strike for the provision of work at all normal daily work periods with an expected duration of more than 07:30 or that imply entering and/or leaving the thirst between 00:30 and 06:00.
In turn, from April 17th to 21st, workers with the categories of traction inspector or chief traction inspector will be on strike at all normal work periods that have an expected duration of more than six hours.
Also under the terms of the communiqué released today, throughout the month of April, all workers in the categories represented by SMAQ will be on strike for the entire period of service, whenever they are assigned a normal period of daily work whose schedule is not included in the scales in force at the start of the strike.
In April, train drivers and technical drivers will also strike in “all periods of service whose content violates the company agreement CP/SMAQ 2022” and all workers in the categories represented by SMAQ will stop “whenever their period of service foresees a rest away from headquarters and provided that the time elapsed between the start of the PNTD at headquarters and the end of the PNTD after rest away from headquarters exceeds 30 hours”.
Finally, between the 16th and 22nd of April, workers in the categories represented by the SMAQ will be on strike "for all overtime work, including work on a weekly rest day".
Among the workers' claims are "effective wage increases" and "valuation of the traction career" and the improvement of working conditions in the driving cabins and social facilities and the safety conditions on the lines and parks for the protection of motor material.
Still complained is a "humanization of duty rosters, meal times framed and reduction of rest away from headquarters", an "effective psychological follow-up protocol for train drivers in case of picking up people on the track and accidents" and the "recognition and appreciation of the professional requirements and training of train drivers by the new legislative framework”.
In February and March, strikes called by various CP unions led to the suppression of hundreds of convoys a day.
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