With authorities’ implying the looming truckers’ strike will almost certainly be going ahead, energy entity ENSE has announced Portugal has reserves of fuel and gas that would allow the country to function for 90 days.
Yesterday, energy minister Pedro Nuno Santos was already exhorting citizens to ‘fill their tanks’ in readiness to the ban on fuel and all kinds of other deliveries from August 12 (click here).
The two syndicates involved have insisted that their action will be ‘open ended’. But if this was designed to elicit further concessions, it may not have worked.
Today reports claim the government “considers the negotiations process is closed”.
Tabloid Correio da Manhã says: “Various ministers are working to respond to the moment (when the strike begins) to reduce its impact in the middle of the holiday period”.
“In this context, supplies to the south of the country – particularly the Algarve where populations triple at this time of year – are one of the priorities”.
Indeed the Algarve’s tourism authority has already called on the government to ensure that supplies to its hotels of natural gas are guaranteed in the context of ‘minimum services’.
Explain reports, hoteliers’ fears are that if they aren’t, establishments would run out of gas in the kitchens and hot water in guest bathrooms.
There is also another major issue to settle – due to the high temperatures at this time of year and risk of fires – fuel must be stored safely.
APED, the association representing the supermarket sector, has joined calls to be ‘included’ in the context of minimum services “so that shelves don’t become empty”.
But the very definition of minimum services is what led to talks between the syndicates involved and employers association ANTRAM collapsing after almost six hours of wrangling at the Ministry of Labour yesterday (Wednesday).
Drivers are proposing minimum services should be 25% (of normal workload), ANTRAM is demanding 70%.
As the tabloid press explains, even deliveries that are made could end up coming unstuck if drivers refused to ‘unload’.
Says Correio da Manhã: “The syndicates allege that (unloading) isn’t part of their duties”.
As reports recall, the last strike – called just before Easter (click here) – saw the government impose a civil requisition to force truckers into supplying minimum services of 40% (albeit restricted to areas of Lisbon and Porto).
ANTRAM’s lawyer André Matias de Almeida suggested yesterday that the government should advance with a second civil requisition to “protect the Portuguese people”.
Truckers’ lawyer, Pedro Pardal Henriques, countered that the government should show ‘caution’ as this is an election year.
And so it goes on with three weeks to go before thousands of drivers decide to down tools… or some kind of agreement is forged.
