Portugal Strike Paused At Airports As Menzies Workers Reject Court’s Minimum Service Mandate, Future Protest Plans On The Horizon: New Report You Need To Know

Published on September 20, 2025

Portugal has paused nan planned onslaught astatine airports aft Menzies workers rejected nan court’s minimum work mandate, which had been imposed to guarantee basal operations during nan business action. Originally group to span 76 days from September 3 to January 2, nan onslaught would person disrupted crushed handling services astatine awesome Portuguese airports. However, nan national based on that nan imposed work levels were excessive and prevented workers from afloat exercising their correct to strike. While nan onslaught has been called disconnected for now, nan unions person hinted astatine early protestation actions, keeping nan rumor acold from resolved.

Travelers heading done Portugal’s airports tin respire a sigh of alleviation arsenic nan Menzies workers’ strike, which was group to disrupt operations for 76 days betwixt September 3 and January 2, has been called off. The business action, planned by workers from PdH/Menzies, was expected to impact crushed handling services astatine respective cardinal airports crossed nan country, perchance causing wide disruptions to some world and home flights. With nan onslaught now canceled, passengers tin remainder assured that their recreation plans will proceed without nan looming threat of delays and cancellations.

However, contempt nan cancellation of nan strike, underlying issues stay unresolved. The strike’s cancellation came aft a important determination from Portugal’s Arbitration Court, which imposed strict minimum work levels that nan workers felt would make it intolerable to workout their correct to onslaught effectively. While nan contiguous disruption has been avoided, this improvement raises important questions astir workers’ rights, national power, and nan early of labour disputes successful nan aviation sector.

The Workers’ Decision to Call Off nan Strike

On Thursday, September 18, 2025, workers from PdH/Menzies voted to telephone disconnected nan strike, citing nan court’s minimum work requirements arsenic nan main logic for abandoning their business action. The workers, represented by SIMA (the Union of Metal and Related Industries) and STA (the Transport Union), expressed that nan imposed conditions were truthful stringent that they made it intolerable to transportation retired their onslaught effectively.

Key points astir nan workers’ decision:

• Minimum Service Requirements: The Arbitration Court imposed minimum work requirements which included a 100% work level for home flights and 35% for world flights. These work requirements were meant to guarantee that operations astatine Portuguese airports would proceed to immoderate extent, but they were seen by nan unions arsenic an infringement connected their expertise to return afloat business action.
• Workers’ Concerns: According to SIMA, these conditions efficaciously nullified nan intent of nan strike. The national based on that nan imposed levels were not “minimum services” arsenic required by rule but were designed to support astir 80% of normal operations, which undermined nan workers’ correct to protestation their moving conditions.
• No Immediate Travel Disruptions: The strike’s cancellation came arsenic a alleviation to travelers who mightiness person been affected by nan planned business action during nan engaged vacation recreation period. The awesome world airports successful Portugal, specified arsenic Lisbon, Porto, and Faro, were group to look important disruption owed to nan strike, which would person impacted formation check-ins, baggage handling, and crushed services.

Background to nan Strike

The business action had been organized successful consequence to issues that workers had pinch Menzies (formerly known arsenic Groundforce), nan institution responsible for providing crushed handling services astatine Portuguese airports. The workers, represented by SIMA and STA, had raised a number of grievances related to moving conditions, wages, and nan erosion of antecedently agreed-upon benefits.

The cardinal grievances that led to nan onslaught were:

• Wages and Compensation: Workers were protesting debased wages and unpaid nighttime shifts, which had go a increasing interest for those successful crushed handling roles. Many workers felt that their compensation did not bespeak nan activity demands aliases nan rising costs of living.
• Benefits Erosion: The unions pointed retired that Menzies had eroded antecedently agreed-upon benefits, leaving workers emotion disrespected and unsupported.
• Working Conditions: Complaints besides centered astir moving conditions, pinch nan unions arguing that unit had been overworked, peculiarly during highest seasons. Long shifts, insufficient staffing, and mediocre moving environments were among nan issues workers wanted addressed.
• Timing of nan Strike: The unions had timed nan onslaught to coincide pinch awesome recreation dates, specified arsenic nan agelong weekends, nan Christmas vacation period, and New Year’s, anticipating maximum effect connected nan hose industry. This would person meant wide disruption for some home and world flights arriving aliases departing from Portuguese airports.

The Arbitration Court’s Ruling

In consequence to nan planned business action, nan Arbitration Court, nether Portugal’s Economic and Social Council, ruled that minimum work levels had to beryllium maintained. The ruling specifically mandated that:

• 100% Service for Domestic Flights: This included each home flights wrong Portugal, covering some mainland destinations and nan islands of Madeira and nan Azores.
• 35% Service for International Flights: For world flights, a minimum of 35% of nan accustomed crushed handling operations had to beryllium maintained.

This ruling was perceived by nan unions arsenic a important situation to their expertise to shape an effective strike. In their response, SIMA denounced nan court’s decision, calling it a “real onslaught connected nan correct to onslaught of Portuguese workers successful wide and of that institution successful particular.” They based on that nan imposition of these work levels was a shape of coercion and did not let workers to afloat definitive their grievances done business action.

The Unions’ View:

• Excessive Service Levels: The unions based on that nan imposed work levels were excessive and rendered nan onslaught ineffective. The minimum work requirements, peculiarly nan 100% work for home flights, meant that astir each operations would beryllium maintained, leaving workers pinch small room to halt nan company’s activities.
• Strike’s Purpose Undermined: The union’s connection suggested that nan halfway intent of nan strike—protesting against nan moving conditions—was undermined by these conditions. The unions called nan ruling an onslaught connected workers’ rights, claiming it was a shape of ineligible manipulation to forestall nan onslaught from achieving its objectives.

What this could mean for nan future:

• Escalation of Protests: Given nan unresolved grievances, nan unions whitethorn opt for different forms of protest, which could impact smaller, much targeted actions, specified arsenic rolling strikes, sit-ins, aliases moreover a much prolonged onslaught during off-peak periods.
• Ongoing Negotiations: It is imaginable that nan unions will proceed to push for amended moving conditions, higher wages, and nan restoration of mislaid benefits. While nan onslaught is canceled for now, nan rumor of adjacent compensation and moving conditions is apt to stay a constituent of contention.
• Impact connected Future Travel: While nan contiguous threat of disruption has been avoided, travelers should stay vigilant and show updates regarding imaginable early disruptions. If nan unions escalate their protests, it could consequence successful recreation delays aliases cancellations, particularly during engaged periods.

The Impact connected Travelers and nan Airline Industry

For nan millions of travelers readying to alert done Portugal successful nan coming months, nan cancellation of nan onslaught provides much-needed relief. With nan engaged vacation play approaching, nan aviation manufacture successful Portugal was bracing for wide delays and cancellations owed to nan business action. The cancellation of nan strike, while not a imperishable solution to nan issues faced by workers, ensures that travelers will not look important disruptions during this highest recreation time.

Key impacts for travelers:

• No Major Disruptions: The contiguous cancellation of nan onslaught intends that travelers will not look nan important delays and cancellations that were initially anticipated. Airlines operating astatine Portuguese airports tin resume normal operations without nan threat of labour stoppages affecting check-in services, baggage handling, and different basal services.
• Uncertainty About Future Disruptions: While nan onslaught is called disconnected for now, travelers should enactment informed astir immoderate imaginable early disruptions. Given nan unions’ ongoing concerns, it is imaginable that early actions could still effect recreation plans, particularly if labour negotiations proceed to stall.
• Travel Advice: Airlines and recreation agencies person advised passengers to stay updated connected immoderate announcements related to nan situation. Passengers flying into aliases retired of Portugal are encouraged to cheque nan position of their flights up of clip and beryllium prepared for immoderate last-minute changes.

The cancellation of nan Menzies workers’ onslaught successful Portugal is simply a impermanent triumph for travelers who were concerned astir important disruptions to their recreation plans. However, nan determination to telephone disconnected nan onslaught does not resoluteness nan underlying labour disputes that led to nan planned business action successful nan first place. The unions person expressed dissatisfaction pinch nan court-imposed work levels, which they judge undermine workers’ authorities to strike, and they are already considering replacement forms of protest.

Portugal has paused nan onslaught astatine airports arsenic Menzies workers rejected nan court’s minimum work mandate, which they based on undermined their correct to strike. Despite nan pause, unions are considering early protests.

As nan vacation play approaches, travelers should stay vigilant and support an oculus connected developments, arsenic further disruptions to nan aviation assemblage successful Portugal whitethorn occur. Whether done continued negotiations aliases escalated protests, nan business remains fluid, and nan workers’ grievances person yet to beryllium afloat addressed.