CP conductors' strike cut 678 trains until 18:00 p.m.

Thus, between 00h00 and 18h00 today “301 trains circulated, throughout the territory. 979 were scheduled, 678 were cancelled, ”specifies the same source, noting that the minimum benefits are being fulfilled.

Speaking to Lusa about the figures, the president of the National Union of Portuguese Railway Drivers (SMAQ), António Domingues, warned that on Friday morning "there could still be constraints".

"From the moment the minimum services were decreed, our expectation is that only these trains will run and that is what happened," he said.

António Domingues also said that the workers were now waiting for "developments" from the financial guardianship, but said that at the moment there was no contact from CP for negotiations.

The workers of the categories represented by the SMAQ are today in the second and last day of a total strike which ends at 23:59 p.m.

On Monday, train drivers began a strike for overtime and rest days, which will last until 23:59 p.m. Sunday.

The SMAQ demonstration aims to demand better working conditions and wage increases.

The union is calling for "improvement of working conditions in driving cabins and social facilities" and "safety conditions in lines and motor vehicle protection parks".

The SMAQ also calls for "the humanization of service hours, supervised meal times and the reduction of off-seat rest", the "implementation of an effective protocol for the psychological monitoring of train drivers in the event of picking up people on the track and accidents", the "recognition and appreciation of the professional and training requirements of train drivers by the new legislative framework" and full compliance with the company agreement.

The union also calls for "recognition of a superior category to SMAQ associates who perform/have performed services in traffic control bodies" and protests "against the absurd discrimination of operational categories in terms of time-out tolerances during the festive season”.

For Wednesday and today, minimum services have been defined for Alfa Pendular and Intercidades, regional, interregional and international services, urban trains in Porto and Coimbra and urban trains in Lisbon, he also pointed out.

ALYN (MPE/DD) // JNM