According to the union’s statement, under the provisions of article 534 of Portugal’s labour code, two hours of the strike are expected at the start and end of each shift, respectively, as well as extra work, except for holidays.

The union explained that, despite its attempts to resolve and mitigate “the difficult, deficient and very precarious conditions in which staff are working, both companies have never been able to make a real effort to reach an agreement.”

It also accused both Ryanair and Groundlink of “having had an aggressive, totalitarian and whip-like attitude towards workers, pressuring them whenever they tried to claim the rights laid down in the Constitution.”