Lisbon.a, July 27, 2025 (Lusa) - The Metalworking and Related Industries Union (SIMA) has accused TAP of “undermining the strike” at SPdH/Menzies (formerly Groundforce) by illegally replacing strikers with maintenance technicians from the carrier, but TAP replied that it was acting “in strict compliance with the law”.
“SIMA publicly denounces what we already knew, and today we documented it: TAP is disrupting the ongoing strike at Menzies/SPdH. It acts outside the law, in full view of everyone, and with the complicity of the government,” the union said in a statement released on Sunday.
The Lusa news agency contacted an official TAP source, who stated that the company “is doing everything to minimise the impact of this strike on its passengers, and he said that the company would act in strict compliance with the law.”
To substantiate its claim, the union attached an internal notification of the operation, issued this morning, confirming that “TAP maintenance technicians are replacing striking workers, performing ‘departure communications’ (critical communications between the ground crew and the cockpit), which are the responsibility of SPdH/Menzies”.
“TAP typically highlights its 49.9% stake in Menzies to position itself as a minority investor. However, today it has become clear that when it comes to maintaining operations and supporting staff, TAP will even go inside the aircraft,” the union maintains.
Emphasising that the direct or indirect replacement of strikers is “a gross violation of strike law”, SIMA said that “TAP is not just collaborating, but operating on the ground as a substitute for the handling company and therefore committing an illegal act”.
Given this situation, the union considers that TAP’s management, led by Luís Rodrigues, “should provide the country with a clear explanation” and must “take direct responsibility for the repression of a legitimate strike”.
In addition, it questions “where the Portuguese government is”, which, as “the majority shareholder in TAP and aware of the labour situation at Menzies, must acknowledge it”.
“This participation by TAP in handling tasks during the strike directly compromises the state. “We must amplify this complaint to uphold the right to strike in Portugal,” SIMA affirms.
The union states that the current strike at Menzies “has revealed the hidden truth: a scheme of labour repression, where TAP, Menzies and the State act as a bloc against the workers,” and vows, “we will speak out.”
Menzies Aviation workers are on the third day of a four-day strike called by SIMA and the Transport Union (ST), which began at 12 a.m. on Friday and will continue until 12 a.m. on Monday.
This is the first of five four-day strikes scheduled for weekends until the beginning of September. In August, the union scheduled strike periods for 8 August to 11 August, 15 August to 18 August, 22 August to 25 August and 29 August to 1 September.
The workers’ demands include guaranteeing base salaries at least equal to the national minimum wage, payment for night hours, better pay conditions and continued access to the car park under the same conditions as before.
The Arbitration Court has determined minimum services for all flights related to critical safety situations, emergency flights, military flights, state flights and TAP night-stop flights in Europe, as well as regular connections between Lisbon and the Azores and Madeira, and between Porto and the archipelagos.
PD/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
