Speaking to Lusa, Sara Gligó, from the Federation of Transport and Communications Unions (Fectrans), said that the strike on overtime and special events will last 30 days, and is renewable for the same period.

At issue, according to the union leader, is the fight for an increase in lunch allowance and a reduction to 35 hours of weekly working hours.

The union leader argued that workers “are not just for special events”, unlike the company, which “lives only for events”.

“At issue is compliance with the company agreement and the agreement that the company made with us at the end of December to lift a similar strike in relation to the payment of the money that has always been owed to workers, therefore the remuneration variables [overtime and holidays],” he said.

According to Sara Gligó, the workers are also demanding the immediate replacement of the missing staff, because, “successively in the activity plans and budgets”, the company keeps asking for workers, but the Government does not deliver in the operational areas.

“The company is short of staff and therefore has to resort to overtime. We may have longer waiting times and delays in the maintenance of trains. It all depends on the company. The unions are always available to negotiate,” she said.

The Lisbon Metro operates daily with four lines: Yellow (Rato-Odivelas), Green (Telheiras-Cais do Sodré), Blue (Reboleira-Santa Apolónia) and Red (Airport-São Sebastião).

The metro normally runs between 6:30 and 1:00.