Lisbon Metro unions call two partial strikes for 28 and 30 October
Partial stoppages are set for 28 and 30 October, each from 05:00 to 10:00, after a full strike on 14 October halted the network for 24 hours. The company says it will ask an arbitration court to set minimum services.
Two partial strikes filed for late October
The unions representing Lisbon Metro workers have filed notices for two partial strikes, scheduled for 28 and 30 October. Each stoppage is set to run from 05:00 to 10:00. The plan became known on Friday, 16 October, after a full stoppage on Wednesday, 14 October suspended circulation for 24 hours. The company says it will ask the Arbitration Court to set minimum services for the new walkouts, as it did ahead of the 14 October strike.
- Full stoppage suspends Metro circulation for 24 hours
- Unions' notices for two partial strikes become known
- First partial strike scheduled, running until 10:00
- Second partial strike scheduled, running until 10:00
Same grievances, one agreement
The unions say the new strikes rest on the same demands as the 14 October stoppage. They point to breaches of commitments and a lack of concrete answers from the company's administration since an agreement signed on 13 April 2026. Sara Gligó, a union leader at the Fectrans federation and the STRUP union, named persistent staffing gaps at the Central Command Post (PCC) and the traction posts as core problems. Other complaints include excessive overtime, prolonged shifts, delays in training supervisors and inspectors, and what the unions call the hollowing out of line managers' duties.
Gligó framed the walkout in these terms.
The strike arises in the face of breaches and the lack of concrete responses from the company's administration since the agreement was signed.
The unions add that they stayed available to negotiate, sent letters, requested specific meetings on the line managers of the DOP, and reviewed documents the company supplied. In their view, the responses were insufficient, according to Fectrans.
The company's response
The Metro's board of directors says it regrets the disruption and reaffirms its willingness to continue dialogue with the unions. The board considers the strikes disproportionate, given their significant impact on passengers' lives. It points to open channels for talks and to concrete measures already under way to answer the demands. The matters under discussion relate to the work of about 100 employees, and the board says it has tabled proposals in meetings with set objectives and deadlines.
The company also addresses alleged workplace harassment that the unions say involves supervisors at the PCC and the traction posts. It says no concrete evidence has so far been presented to confirm those situations, while stating that all such matters deserve close attention.
Minimum services and what is still open
For the 14 October stoppage, no agreement on minimum services was reached with the labour authority DGERT, and the Arbitration Court then decided not to fix them. The company says it will appeal that decision, arguing that a minimum level of service should be secured. For the late-October strikes it will again seek a ruling on minimum services.
The company will also request that the Arbitration Court set minimum services, seeking to minimise the disruption for passengers.
No ruling on those new requests has been reported yet. The company says it remains ready to keep talking with the unions. The first of the two scheduled stoppages falls on 28 October, from 05:00 to 10:00.
