What the strike covers

Non-teaching school staff in Portugal began a 24-hour strike on Monday, 19 October 2026, called by the Sindicato Nacional dos Profissionais da Educação (SINAPE). The strike notice covers operational assistants, technical assistants, and specialised and senior technicians, and applies to the entire service. Staff who join do not need to tell any employer in advance, and the union declared no minimum services. According to the union, the workers want careers of their own, along with progression and formal recognition, because they say they work under a regime of consecutive precarity without a career or progression in public administration. The union also says the workers have never received recognition for the wide range of tasks they perform in schools, despite formal acknowledgement of those duties. RTP reported that the walkout targets low pay and weak professional recognition, and that staff are still waiting for a dedicated professional framework the government had promised.

Schools shut in three districts

Lusa reporters found several secondary and basic schools closed on Monday morning in the Lisbon, Coimbra and Setúbal districts. In Lisbon, the Escola Básica 1/2/3 Pedro de Santarém closed around 07:50, and the Luís de Camões, D. Filipa de Lencastre and Telheiras schools were shut as well. At the Escola Secundária José Gomes Ferreira, classes were suspended for the morning, and the female director of the Benfica school grouping told Lusa the situation would be reassessed from 13:00, when staff change shifts. Schools in Alverca, Almada, Alenquer and Castanheira do Ribatejo were also closed, as was the Escola Secundária Infanta Dona Maria in Coimbra. Lusa also reported that schools in the Olaias, Pedro de Santarém, José Gomes Ferreira and Camões groupings in Lisbon were still closed.

Union's national count and adherence

Francisco Pinto, the SINAPE leader, told Lusa by phone around 08:45 that he knew of many schools closed across the country.

“The situation is the same across the country.”

He listed closures in Viseu, Pedras Salgadas, Aveiro, Coimbra, Silves, Albufeira, Lagoa, Palmela, Setúbal and Sesimbra, among other places. He expected about 70% of non-teaching staff to join the strike. In a separate account, RTP quoted Pinto estimating 80% adherence in the morning shift and saying closures had already exceeded what the union had expected. Pinto also said the lack of new incentives makes the sector less attractive, which worsens the shortage of staff in schools. The 70% and 80% figures are not reconciled in the reporting, so both should be read as union estimates.

Local impact and reaction

In Oliveira do Hospital, only one establishment is affected: the Escola Básica da Cordinha. Carlos Carvelheira, director of the school grouping, told Rádio Boa Nova that the school would close at 13:00, but students could still eat their meal first. He said the strike had drawn limited support and that the rest of the grouping was operating normally, with some constraints. The Oliveira do Hospital report is the only one that describes a single affected school. Carvelheira's account contrasts with Pinto's expectation of about 70% adherence across the country.