Portugal Airports At Risk Of Severe Disruptions Starting Today As Menzies Workers Strike For Wage Increases And Better Working Conditions

Published on August 8, 2025 |

By: TTW News Desk

Workers of Menzies are commencing a onslaught coming which will put Portuguese airports nether acute operational strain. Strikes are a consequence of a stagnant minimum wage, inadequate payments for nighttime shifts, and a wide disregard from Menzies towards adjacent labour policies. The strikes are perfectly timed during Portugal’s recreation peak, which will undoubtedly worsen delays and cancellations for passengers wrong and beyond nan borders of Portugal.

Portugal Airport Strike Expected to Disrupt Travel Over Weekend arsenic Menzies Workers Protest for Better Pay

Travelers flying done Portugal’s airports this play whitethorn look important disruptions, arsenic Menzies crushed handling workers motorboat their 2nd four-day onslaught successful a bid of planned business actions. The walkout, scheduled to statesman connected Friday, August 8, is portion of an ongoing conflict betwixt Menzies guidance and its workforce, pinch nan national accusing nan institution of failing to prosecute successful meaningful speech complete workers’ authorities and wages.

The strikes, which are scheduled during nan engaged summertime recreation season, are expected to origin delays and formation cancellations, peculiarly astatine Lisbon Airport, Portugal’s busiest hub. The walkout will effect each Portuguese airports, pinch workers demanding higher wages, amended salary for nighttime shifts, and nan enforcement of minimum costs standards, among different issues. The workers person been mobilizing to reside these concerns, arsenic good arsenic what they reason is nan company’s nonaccomplishment to meet basal labour standards.

This bid of strikes, organized by nan Transport Union (ST) and SIMA, marks nan continuation of a important labour conflict that has already disrupted operations astatine Portugal’s airports. Menzies management, led by vice president Rui Gomes, has travel nether occurrence for its hardline stance successful negotiations, opting for confrontation alternatively of negotiation. The national has expressed vexation pinch nan management’s refusal to prosecute successful productive discussions aimed astatine resolving nan issues. The deficiency of advancement has led to this 2nd planned strike, pinch nary denotation that nan 2 sides are adjacent to an agreement.

The first information of strikes, which took spot from July 25 to 28, already caused a activity of chaos astatine Lisbon Airport. Several flights were canceled, and galore others knowledgeable important delays. In immoderate cases, planes took disconnected pinch passengers but without baggage aliases cargo, highlighting nan grade of nan operational disruptions caused by nan strike. Union representatives reason that these actions are basal to tie attraction to nan terrible moving conditions and debased salary that labor are enduring, particularly during highest tourer season.

André Silva, a spokesperson for SIMA, stated that they expect akin disruptions during this 2nd information of strikes, though nan afloat effect connected operations will only go clear successful nan days pursuing nan strike’s launch. While Menzies has implemented contingency plans to minimize nan effect of nan strikes, they person faced disapproval from nan union. The institution has based on that nan minimum work levels group by Portugal’s Economic and Social Council are insufficient and that they person put successful spot robust contingency plans to guarantee that workers’ authorities are respected while maintaining operational continuity. However, SIMA’s position is that these contingency plans do not adequately reside nan standard of nan disruption caused by nan strikes.

The onslaught is portion of a bid of planned business actions that are group to proceed passim August and into early September. The adjacent information of strikes is scheduled for August 15 to 18, followed by further strikes betwixt August 22 and 25, and nan last group of strikes from August 29 to September 1. The union’s stance remains firm, arsenic they proceed to conflict for adjacent wages and moving conditions successful a assemblage that plays a important domiciled successful nan country’s economy.

SIMA has besides taken ineligible action against some Menzies and TAP, filing criminal complaints pinch nan Public Prosecutor’s Office successful narration to nan management’s handling of labour disputes. The national has been vocal successful its disapproval of nan measurement some companies person handled nan negotiations, pinch claims that nan nonaccomplishment to scope an statement is symptomatic of deeper issues wrong nan guidance structure.

As nan strikes continue, passengers walking done Portugal’s airports should expect further delays and cancellations, peculiarly during highest recreation days. While nan disruptions are chiefly affecting crushed handling services, nan ripple effects are apt to effect airlines, passengers, and nan wider tourism sector, peculiarly during nan engaged summertime months. The strikes travel astatine a clip erstwhile nan tourism assemblage is important to Portugal’s economy, and nan impacts of nan business action are apt to beryllium felt by some travelers and businesses successful nan industry.

The conflict betwixt Menzies and its workers is suggestive of broader issues wrong nan airdrome services sector, wherever workers person progressively raised concerns astir wages, moving conditions, and occupation security. The ongoing business action highlights nan hostility betwixt management’s desire to support operational ratio and workers’ demands for adjacent compensation and improved conditions. With nary solution successful sight, nan strikes are apt to proceed causing disruption crossed Portugal’s airports until an statement is reached.

For travelers readying to alert done Portugal successful nan coming weeks, it is advisable to enactment updated connected nan position of their flights and see replacement recreation arrangements if necessary. The union’s committedness to its onslaught action suggests that further disruptions are inevitable, and passengers should beryllium prepared for imaginable delays and cancellations arsenic nan labour conflict continues.

Portugal airports are astatine consequence of terrible disruptions starting coming arsenic Menzies workers onslaught for costs increases and amended moving conditions. The business action comes aft ongoing disputes complete debased salary and insufficient compensation for nighttime shifts.

In nan meantime, Menzies and different crushed handling companies operating astatine Portuguese airports will request to find a measurement to navigate these tensions and return to nan negotiating array to forestall further harm to nan country’s aviation sector. Until then, nan strikes are expected to stay a awesome obstacle for travelers passing done Portugal’s airports this summer.