The strike by local administration workers called by STAL was affecting schools, garbage collection, libraries, and museums, among other services, on the mainland as of 10:30 AM this Friday, a union source told Lusa, without revealing participation numbers for the stoppage.
In statements to Lusa, the president of the Public Administration Workers’ Union (STAL), Cristina Torres, reminded that the strike was called to allow workers to participate in the demonstration scheduled for this morning in Lisbon to demand better salary conditions, affecting some services in various districts.
“At this hour, I am unable to provide the numbers of participation in the strike. We are aware that there will be schools affected, mainly kindergartens, museums, and libraries, but we do not have numbers yet,” she said earlier this morning.
Cristina Torres added that workers were gathered at 10:30 AM in Jardim da Estrela to start the demonstration, which will end at Jardim das Francesinhas, near the Assembly of the Republic.
“We will be very close to the official residence of the prime minister. We will be shouting, hoping he hears us and responds to the petition we submitted. We are also very close to the Assembly of the Republic, where we are about to start the discussion of the State Budget for 2025,” the union leader told Lusa on Thursday.
STAL submitted a petition to the government on June 25, signed by 25,000 workers, outlining the union’s main proposals.
The issues at hand include increasing the minimum wage in the public administration and the meal allowance, as well as expanding the scope of the Supplement for Hardship and Unhealthiness (SPI), measures that would contribute to “valuing the workers”.
Regarding the SPI, STAL advocates for an increase in its coverage both in relation to workers benefiting from it and its applicability: “It has been very limited. It’s only available to operational assistant career workers and, within this career, to a limited set of professions. We believe it is possible and necessary to broaden the scope of this supplement to other careers and more professions,” defended Cristina Torres.
The union also intends for this allowance to no longer be solely for hardship and unhealthiness but also to cover risk.
Currently, the highest value of the SIP is 4.99 euros (per day) and the lowest is 3.36 euros, and they are asking for an “update of these values based on inflation”.
Another demand relates to a minimum increase of 150 euros in all salaries and the establishment in 2025 of a minimum wage in the public administration of 1,000 euros (currently, the amount is 821.83 euros).
The demand to raise the meal allowance from the current six euros to 10.50 euros is another key request.
Alongside the strike in the sector marked for participation in the protest, the Lisbon Municipality Workers’ Union (STML), which is also part of this demonstration, called for a 24-hour strike on this Friday for better working conditions and pay.
In a statement released on September 4, STML explained that the strike takes place between 00:00 and 24:00 today and covers all workers in the municipality of Lisbon, including those in municipal and intermunicipal companies, foundations, and others, as well as all workers from parish councils in the municipality, “regardless of their contractual ties, working hours, and workplace”.