Sines LNG terminal workers halt tanker supply in three-day strike over shift work

Full participation halts Sines tanker loading

Operational staff at REN Atlântico responsible for running Portugal's liquefied natural gas terminal in Sines entered a strike at 00:00 on Sunday, 23 August 2026. The industrial action was organized jointly by trade unions SITE Sul and Fiequimetal, the Inter-Union Federation of Metallurgical, Chemical, Electrical, Pharmaceutical, Cellulose, Paper, Graphic, Press, Energy and Mining Industries. Union officials confirmed that employee participation reached 100% across the opening two shifts of the protest. The work stoppage resulted in a complete suspension of road tanker truck refuelling operations at the port facility. Pipeline deliveries into the national gas grid continued at standard weekend baselines in compliance with statutory minimum service requirements. The three-day walkout is scheduled to continue through Tuesday, 25 August 2026.

Rogério Silva, representing Fiequimetal, detailed the operational stoppage during the second shift.

Adherence is 100%, there is no tanker being supplied. The second shift started at 09:00 and adherence remains at 100%. What is being injected into the grid is normal weekend supply because minimum services are being respected.

Demands for early retirement and wage parity

The mobilization represents the latest escalation in a collective bargaining process that union representatives state has been ongoing since 2012. At the center of the dispute is a demand for early retirement provisions designed to offset the physical wear and health impacts associated with round-the-clock shift work. The unions are calling on REN Atlântico management to grant access to early retirement under terms comparable to those granted to workers covered by the ACT 2000 collective agreement. Labor representatives also demand an immediate correction of internal wage disparities, citing pay differences between staff members who carry out the exact same duties at the facility. Union leaders maintain that resolving these discrepancies is necessary to establish fair working conditions across the terminal workforce.

Cumulative shift duration and strategic supply

Prior to the start of the walkout, Fiequimetal released figures showing that the majority of workers at the Sines facility have already logged an average of 20 years in shift work. The federation warned that under the current regulatory framework, an employee at the terminal would be forced to work an additional 26 years and nine months on rotating shifts. When combined with the 20 years already served on average, an operational employee would face a career total of 46 years and nine months working under shift conditions. Fiequimetal argued that the strategic position of the Sines terminal in maintaining Portugal's national energy security requires management to implement a dedicated medium-term early retirement plan. The union stated that REN possesses sufficient economic and financial resources to satisfy the workers' demands in full. Portuguese news agency Lusa sought a response from the management of REN regarding the strike and union claims, but the company did not provide comment.