Mass participation expected, says union
State workers will be on strike tomorrow with “mass participation expected”.
The strike will mean that tax office, schools, health centres and registrars and notaries offices will be closed – very possibly also social security offices
Mário Rui of the National Union of Workers in Public Services and Entities (STTS), which has called the strike, has said he is expecting even greater participation than during the last public sector strike (in February).
“The strike is national, for all workers, regardless of their employment status or career,” he told Lusa today, pointing out that in education, for example, operational assistants, auxiliary technicians, technical assistants and teachers are covered, while in health, professionals from doctors to nurses, auxiliary health technicians and operational assistants could be taking part.
Officially, STTS has called this strike “due to the deterioration of working conditions and a lack of appreciation”.
But the electoral campaign has been seen by unions as a moment to show their feelings towards the government. Rail services, for example, have been seriously disrupted over a period of roughly a week, with three days in which barely any trains were running at all.
In a statement, the union claims that public administration workers are “fed up with low wages, career devaluation, empty promises and management that does not recognise the importance of public services to society”.
The strike will involve workers covered by the union’s statutory scope, “regardless of the nature of their employment, position, function or sector of activity, whether they are employed under a public employment regime or a common labour regime, integrated into general careers, subsisting careers, unrevised careers, including the Municipal Police career, and special careers”.
It will start at midnight tonight, ending at midnight on Friday.
Source material: LUSA
