British tourists flying from a busy European airport are facing travel chaos linked to ongoing industrial action. Passengers departing Libson Airport on the weekend were subject to major disruption, due to the combined effects of a bomb hoax and a strike by ground crew. Over 70 flights were cancelled on Saturday and Sunday, with dozens taking off without passengers’ luggage in 48 hours of mayhem at Portugal’s biggest airport, which is also one of the largest in Europe.
The disruption to travellers is not expected to let up anytime soon, with budget flier Ryanair calling on the Portuguese government to resolve the “chaos” caused by “staff shortages at border services”.
“Despite being in the middle of the peak summer travel season, the Portuguese authorities have not ensured the necessary staffing level at Lisbon Airport’s immigration checkpoint,” a spokesperson for the airline told Publiturus. As as a result, they added, passengers arriving in Portugal are facing “unacceptable delays of up to 1.5 hours.”
Ryanair called on the country’s officials to take “urgent measures” to resolve the issue and warned that “without immediate intervention, further delays are inevitable, which will cotinue to undermine passenger confidence and Portugal’s reputation as a reliable tourist destination”.
The weekend strike by SPdH/Menzies workers will not be the last staged by Portugal’s SIMA (Metal and Allied Industries Union), with further action planned for August 8-11, 15-18, 22-25 and August 29 to September 1.
Union leader Carlos Araújo told the Lusa news agency that staff had been “forced” into taking strike action by “the intransigence of the current management”.
Among the union’s demands are an end to base salaries below the minimum wage, better overall salary conditions and payment for night shifts.
Menzies Aviation insisted in a statement released on Saturday that “the strike had only caused minimal disruption in Lisbon, with no impact on other stopovers”.
The company also stressed its “commitment to legality, fair working conditions and open and respectful dialogue” but said it will not resume “any kind of dialogue while the strike continues”.
Portugal isn’t the only European country being hit by staff strikes during peak summer season, with workers in Italy and Spain also launching industrial action in July and August – with demands for better working conditions, improved safety and a better work-life balance driving many of the walkouts.