"The strike has been announced, so far there has been nothing that could lead to any appeasement that could prompt the cancellation of this strike, so if nothing changes between now and the 7th [of September], the strike will go ahead and run until the 22nd," São Bento told public television broadcaster RTP.

The office of public prosecutions is pressing for the dissolution of the SNMMP, in a legal action lodged with a Lisbon Employment Tribunal earlier this month, court sources told Lusa on Wednesday.

Prosecutors believe that the union’s constitution and statutes are not in keeping with the law, following a review carried out by government officials.

According to the attorney-general’s office, in a written reply sent to Lusa on Wednesday, the irregularities in question include “the participation in the SNMMP’s constituent assembly of at least one person who is not an employee, in the professional context indicated in the statutes."

The union leader said on Wednesday that, based on his "little legal knowledge”, there are no grounds for the union to be wound up.

"If there is any irregularity, this irregularity will be regularised,” he said. “We see no reason why there should be a dissolution of the union."

However, if this were to happen, he added, the prospect of setting up a new union "is being pondered". He gave no further details, adding that "the law exists and will be observed".

He said that a hypothetical regularisation of the union’s situation could take the form of an "amendment of the statutes".

São Bento, who is now also acting as SNMMP spokesman, was accompanied by Pedro Pardal Henriques, who stepped down as the union’s spokesman to head the list of candidates in Lisbon district of the Republican Democratic Party (PDR) in the 6 October general election.

The SNMMP, which called a strike earlier this month, has given notice of a fresh strike from 7 to 22 September, this time on overtime and weekends.