The three-day strike by Portway workers caused the cancellation of at least 230 flights at Lisbon and Porto airports, the National Civil Aviation Workers Union (SINTAC) announced this Sunday, forecasting new combat action.
“We will take other actions, although on these occasions it is best to record everything that has happened, take stock and see what we are going to do from tomorrow. [segunda-feira]Pedro Figueiredo, leader of SINTAC, said in statements to journalists at 4 p.m. at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport.
Turning to the balance of the three days of strikes by Portway workers, which started at midnight Friday and lasted until midnight today, the union leader said there is a record total of cancellations of “230 flights, at least “, at the airports of Lisbon and Porto.
On this third and final day of the strike, according to data up to 1:00 p.m., “about 40 flights” in Lisbon and “about 20 flights” in Porto, Pedro Figueiredo said, adding that at Faro airport there is “a slight increase” of membership by employees, but without registration of cancellations.
According to SINTAC, the total number of canceled flights today could reach around 70 in Lisbon and 40 in Porto, with the freight sector “completely stopped” at these two airports, while only “delays” are expected in Faro and Funchal.
“Obviously the strike has already had its impact and we don’t want to say we’re happy to cause embarrassment. In fact, the company did very well in this regard because it managed to organize the airports and knew it effectively We would like it to be the same, the same attitude, towards the workers,” said Pedro Figueiredo, without coming forward with figures on support for the strike.
Asked about future protests, the union leader said there are several possible struggles, namely the unification of all unions, new strikes and lawsuits, noting that SINTAC is not in favor of “union work to be done in court” because the important is to have “solutions for the moment”.
The SINTAC leader also said he has “the most incredible evidence” of Portway’s request to ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal to recruit workers from other companies and outside companies, namely Groundforce and Ryanair, to provide services under this strike. .
It was “unfortunately an act of several people, and it is disrespectful even to the workers, so anyone who agrees is committing an illegality,” he stressed, adding that Ryanair and Groundforce “used their equipment to get off the planes.” ” .
Regarding Portway’s response to the workers’ claims, Pedro Figueiredo opined that “the company does not want to talk, does not want to reach consensus, does not want to improve workers’ living conditions effectively, it just wants, apparently, or will only apparently be interested in improving the conditions of passengers and improving the prices it offers its customers”.
SINTAC also recalled that the Portuguese airports were bought by the multimillionaire Vinci, who “showed a profit of 1.9 billion euros just a few weeks ago”, accusing the French group of wanting to “destroy this Portuguese social class”. in this aviation sector” and reinforcing that the union will continue to maintain “appropriate opposition”.
“We will go with all possible weapons and means to fight against these gentlemen of this Vinci group, who clearly affect political power, and we will never forget that we will always be available to reach agreement, with honesty and ethics said Pedro Figueiredo.
In a statement, Portway acknowledged that the third day of the strike by the airline workers’ union will lead to 69 flight cancellations today, in Lisbon and Porto, and classified the strike as “an irresponsible act”.
The ground handling company at Portuguese airports said participation in the strike was only 14% but admitted that the shutdown today will force the cancellation of 33 flights in Lisbon and 36 in Porto, out of a total of 196 cancellations in the three days of strike .
The Portway workers’ strike announcement, launched by SINTAC, started at 00:00 a.m. Friday and will last until midnight today, with a ministerial decree defining minimum shifts and not allowing about a third of workers – those who assist passengers with reduced mobility (MyWay) – can go on strike.
Three-day strike at Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Madeira airports aims to “challenge HR policy” [recursos humanos] adopted in recent years by Portway, a company owned by the Vinci group, of confrontation and devaluation of employees through successive violations of the company agreement, disciplinary confrontations, absence of salary updates, misrepresentation of performance evaluations avoiding salary increases and bad faith in the negotiations,” the union said.
Portway employees demand compliance with the 2016 Company Agreement and a performance appraisal that is not to prevent progression, as well as 100% vacation pay and immediate salary updates, taking inflation into account.
Portway admits 69 flights were canceled today and speaks of “irresponsible” strike
Portway acknowledges that the third day of the strike by the airline workers’ union, coming Sunday, will lead to 69 flight cancellations, in Lisbon and Porto, and classifies the strike as “an irresponsible act”.
The ground handling company at Portuguese airports said support for the strike by the National Civil Aviation Workers Union (SINTAC) was only 14%, but admitted that the shutdown today caused the cancellation of 33 flights in Lisbon and 36 in Porto, out of a total of 196 cancellations during the three-day strike period.
“Portway reiterates that this was an unreasonable strike and an irresponsible act, which undermines the company’s financial recovery and its ability to translate that recovery into better conditions for workers,” Portway said in a statement.
The company deplores the damage to passengers, airlines and Portway itself and says it will emerge from this situation with “a more vulnerable commercial and economic position”.
In the statement, Portway rejected the alleged reasons for SINTAC’s declaration of the strike, guaranteeing that the company “complies with all applicable laws and regulations”, including in force company agreements and labor rights”, noting that it has updated salary updates from 11 % since 2019 and paying vacation days with a 150% increase over the hourly rate.
Portway has rejected the unions’ criticism of the lack of investment, saying it has invested around €2 million annually in equipment and facilities, with two objectives: “improving workers’ conditions and the company’s environmental performance”.
The company also denounced the lack of availability for dialogue on the part of the employees and their representatives, namely SINTAC.
“It has been demonstrated once again that this union is not available for balanced negotiations, given the economic context of the company, in the sense of guaranteeing a fair distribution of value with the workers and ensuring the economic viability of the company.” business and long-term jobs,” reads the statement released today.
Portway, in turn, guarantees that it will “continue to promote an objective and realistic dialogue with all available partners” in order to “avoid the difficulties faced by the entire sector”.
SINTAC called for a strike at the ground handling company at the airports of Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Funchal, starting on August 26 at 00:00 and ending on August 28 at 24:00, against the policy of “confrontation and devaluation of workers through successive company agreement violations, disciplinary confrontations, absence of salary updates, misrepresentation of performance evaluations that avoid salary increases and bad faith in negotiations,” he said in a statement.
According to SINTAC, the strike is intended to challenge “HR policy” [recursos humanos] adopted in recent years by Portway, a company owned by the Vinci group, of confrontation and devaluation of employees through successive violations of the company agreement, disciplinary confrontations, absence of salary updates, misrepresentation of performance evaluations avoiding salary increases and bad faith in the negotiations”.
SINTAC accuses Portway of fostering a “climate of psychological terror, where threats and disciplinary proceedings increase, creating a social instability unparalleled in the company’s history,” and the employees demand compliance with the 2016 company agreement and an achievement which does not serve to prevent progressions.
Source: DN
