Lisbon, Nov. 19, 2024 (Lusa) - A train drivers' union has called a general strike for 6 December because the government has failed to clarify the relationship between rail accidents and the alcohol content of these workers and to demand adequate safety conditions.

"The SMAQ - Sindicato Nacional dos Maquinistas dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (National Union of Portuguese Railway Train Drivers) has decided to go ahead with a general strike notice for 6th December 2024, with impacts on the 5th and 7th, in the seven companies where it is represented: CP - EPE, Fertagus, MTS - Metro do Sul do Tejo, ViaPorto, Captrain, Medway and IP - Infraestruturas de Portugal," the organisation said in a statement.

At issue are the statements made by the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, at a press conference after Thursday's Council of Ministers, in which he said that "it's not very well known, but Portugal has the second worst performance in terms of the number of accidents that occur per kilometre of railway" and that it has "a performance around seven times worse than the first half of European countries", explaining that the government has approved a bill that reinforces "the administrative offence measures for train drivers, creating a ban on driving under the influence of alcohol".

"While Portugal has one of the worst accident rates, it has the lightest and lowest administrative offence framework in Europe," he added.

The SMAQ said on Tuesday that it had received no response to its demand that the minister clarify and publicly rectify his statements.

"Because of the lack of clarification, the SMAQ considers that it has no alternative but to go on strike," it stressed, adding that the strike aims “to defend professional railway drivers and demand adequate safety conditions for the exercise of their profession”.

MPE/ADB // ADB.

Lusa