Minimum wage for strikes in CP to be enforced starting from Sunday (Court ruling)
Rewritten Article
Here's what you need to know about the ongoing railway situation in Portugal:
CP's Train Circulation Disrupted
It's a chaotic scene at the moment as various unions' strikes have halted CP's train circulation. However, not all is lost. The Arbitral Tribunal of Portugal's Economic and Social Council (CES) has set minimum services at 25% for CP’s train circulation during the Union of Machinists (SMAQ) strike.
Minimum Services at 25%
CP argued that reducing train traffic to less than 25% could potentially compromise passenger safety. Hearing this, the tribunal agreed and set the minimum services at 25% rather than a lower figure.
Safety First
The primary reason for this decision was passenger safety. If the trains were to circulate at lower than 25%, there could be dangerous consequences such as overcrowding and the accumulation of people at stations.
Multiple Union Strikes
This isn't a singular strike situation. Several unions, including SMAQ and others, have called for multiple overlapping strike actions. This complicates the situation and necessitates a clear minimum service schedule.
Other Union Strikes
Interestingly, several other strikes by CP workers’ unions in the same period have proceeded with no minimum services, leading to full or near-total work stoppages on certain days.
The Role of the Arbitral Tribunal
The tribunal's role is to mediate industrial actions while ensuring safety and continuity of critical infrastructure. The 25% minimum service rule sets a precedent for future strikes in the transport sector where safety is a concern.
Implications
Even with the 25% minimum service requirement, unions like SMAQ have maintained strong strike participation, causing significant disruption to services. This balancing act between essential services and unions' right to strike influences how future strikes are negotiated and managed.
In summary, the arbitral tribunal imposed a 25% minimum service level during the SMAQ strike to address CP’s safety concerns while balancing the unions' right to strike. This approach acknowledges the complexity of multiple concurrent strikes and sets a framework for handling minimum services in future union actions, impacting how train services and strikes coexist in Portugal’s rail sector.
Read more about this situation in our article: Trains queue... stopped. That's how the lines are (with images).
- What is the current status of CP's train circulation due to the unions' strikes? It's disrupted, but the Arbitral Tribunal of Portugal's Economic and Social Council (CES) has set minimum services at 25%.
- In the ongoing railway situation in Portugal, what was the minimum services requirement set by the Arbitral Tribunal for CP’s train circulation during the Union of Machinists (SMAQ) strike? It was 25% to ensure safety.
- How does the Arbitral Tribunal's role come into play in the ongoing railway situation in Portugal? Its role is to mediate industrial actions while ensuring safety and continuity of critical infrastructure.
- What implications does the 25% minimum service requirement have for unions like SMAQ? Despite the requirement, unions have maintained strong strike participation, causing significant disruptions to services, influencing how future strikes are negotiated and managed.
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