According to ECO, the CP workers' strike, called by several unions for this Wednesday, was suspended after an agreement was reached for salary increases and career regulation.

According to the Government, the agreement benefits all workers with salary increases and meal allowance.

“Under the terms of the agreement, all salary indexes will be updated by a further 1.5% from 1 August 2024 and the value of the meal allowance will rise to 9.20 euros”, according to a statement from the Federation of Transport and Communications Trade Unions (Fectrans).

The union structures that went on strike on Monday had planned another day of strike for Wednesday and stated, in the joint statement, that it was assumed in this agreement “that the new professional categories resulting from the merger of current categories are voluntary and that they will remain in place with the guarantee of career progression and the same functions”.

The union structures also highlighted that CP's management “agreed to implement the agreement of 29 May 2023, unifying the annual productivity and review bonuses, for the same value as the driving career bonus, with effect from 1 August of this year, with the next payment in February 2025”.

The agreement also provides, without “prejudice to the application of what has now been agreed”, that from the last week of September, “negotiations will be resumed”, with the aim of “reviewing the salary scales”, “agreement with the trade unions on the transition rules for the new salary scales” and “continuing to agree on the functional contents of the careers/categories in which the need for continued discussion was identified”, they also stressed.

“These organisations are aware that this is the only possible agreement at this time and that it creates better conditions to resume important matters for workers, including salary scales in order to value and dignify professions at CP”, they also highlighted in the press release.

In a statement, the office of the Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, welcomed the suspension of the strike, considering that “the agreements reached with the unions benefit all CP workers with salary increases and meal allowances”.

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, this agreement on the review of the career regulations “responds to workers’ demands”, allowing the suspension of a strike that “would have a strong negative impact on train circulation and the lives of citizens”.

“The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, welcomes the understanding reached and the lifting of the strike” announced by 11 unions, the statement highlighted, adding that the agreement that had already been reached, on 28 June, between the Government, CP and the National Union of Portuguese Railway Drivers (SMAQ) has now been extended to other union structures.

CP workers had carried out a one-day strike on Monday, which was scheduled to be repeated today (24 July), after having already been on strike on 28 June. The unions had stated that they considered it unacceptable that CP management, after having guaranteed that it would extend to all workers an agreement that was concluded with a union organization, intended to make this conditional on the acceptance of the proposed career regulation.