PORTUGAL

SEF strike causes 4 hour queues at airport

By TPN/Lusa, in News · 23-08-2021

The waiting time at Lisbon airport's border control for flight arrivals from non-Schengen space, reached 3:43 on 22 August, according to an official source from ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal, due to the SEF strike.

However, at departures, the maximum waiting time was 35 minutes during the morning, according to the airport management company.

According to ANA, the partial strike by workers of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), which began on 14 August, continues without having "relevant impact on the remaining airports".

The workers' protest aims to be "considered in the restructuring process" of the SEF, which involves changes to the entity, recalled last week the leader of the Union of Investigation, Inspection and Borders Inspectors (SIIFF), Renato Mendonça.

The union leader recalled that the law obliges them to "summon workers' representative structures and lead them to participate" in collective negotiations, but that the Government has taken an autocratic stance, which to continue implies continuing the strike and "advancing towards ways of fight harder. And that makes another kind of impact.”

Renato Mendonça explained that the partial strike will take place at least until the end of August and that the greatest impact has been in Lisbon, a strategy that he says aims to "cause a smaller impact on the flow of passengers and on the normal functioning of airports", which he claimed to be "easily verified by the fact that the queues have reached their peak of four hours".

The leader, last week, already estimated as "possible that the same happens" given the "high" number of flights expected for this weekend.

The strike was called by the SIIFF due to the lack of response from the Government on the future of the inspectors, following the approval of the bill that "provides for the transition of police powers of SEF to the PJ, PSP and GNR".

The strike did not count, however, with the participation of the Union for the Investigation and Inspection Career of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SCIF/SEF).

The protest began on 14 August and partially covers all employees working at the country's main border posts.