Strike by SEF inspectors at Lisbon airport with adherence above 90% – Ultima Hora

The partial strike by SEF inspectors at Lisbon airport today again registered a membership “above 90%”, according to a union source, who only with “guarantees from the Government” regarding the transition of workers admits to canceling the protest.

“It was exactly the same situation as yesterday [sábado]above 90%”, said the president of the Union of Investigation, Inspection and Borders Inspectors (SIIFF) in statements to the Lusa agency a few minutes after the end of the strike, which took place between 07:00 and 10:00. According to Renato Mendonça, as happened on Saturday, the first day of the partial strike by inspectors from the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), “from 5:00 am to 7:00 am there were 100% [de adesão] and then, from 07:00 to 10:00, above 90%, which gives an average clearly above 90%”.

Regarding the impact of the stoppage, the union leader said that “the scenario is exactly the same” as on Saturday and that “it is not even expected that, during the course of the strike, there will be changes”.

“Accounting for people is always difficult, but the room [da zona internacional do aeroporto] it’s full. The ‘boxes’ are full, the first lines — both in the outputs and in the inputs — are complete and only now [com o fim da greve, às 10:00] normalizing”, he said, estimating that the waiting time is around “two, three hours, at least”.

The partial strike called by the SIIFF will run until the end of June at the country’s various airports and border posts, with uncertainty surrounding the future of SEF inspectors after the Government approved, on April 6, the decree- law establishing the transition regime for SEF workers following the restructuring process.

At Humberto Delgado Airport, in Lisbon, the stoppage will take place between today and Monday from 5:00 am to 10:00 am, and is also scheduled for the same time on the 27th to 29th of May, from 3rd to 5th of June, from June 10th to 12th, June 17th to 19th and June 24th to 26th (always on weekends and Mondays).

At the airports of Porto, Faro and Madeira and at the other SEF organic units, the strike is scheduled for the 22nd and 29th of May and the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th of June and will last for 24 hours, because in these places “the impact in terms of constraints is not so great”.

According to the president of the SIIFF, the decree-law that establishes the transition regime for SEF workers is in the Presidency of the Republic to be promulgated by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, but the diploma is not known.

Renato Mendonça says that the Minister of Internal Administration, José Luís Carneiro, “showed them a ‘draft’ [rascunho]” of the decree-law, but that this was “exactly the same diploma of the beginning of collective bargaining, that is, before it was approved”.

“Therefore, we have no guarantees that it is the diploma that was presented for promulgation to the President of the Republic”, he maintained.

Additionally, he stressed, “the reasons for the strike are not related only to that diploma”, but also “to the deadlines” for the transition of SEF workers, following the extinction of this service: “Even more than the diploma, what we we want to have concrete dates for the effective transition of this whole process”, he stressed.

According to the union leader, “the diploma must contain deadlines for entry into force, but the minister was unable to give any guarantees regarding these dates of implementation”: “He says at the end of October, but from here to October there are still five more months , that is, this is to prolong this agony permanently”, he said.

“It may be that next week he can already guarantee us something and that way, of course, we will be open [a suspender a greve]. But so far, considering the development of this whole process, we have no reason to place any kind of trust in the Government. The word is not enough,” he concluded.

In addition to the transition of SEF workers, the diploma relating to the creation of the Portuguese Agency for Minorities, Migrations and Asylum (APMMA) is also about to be promulgated, which will replace the SEF in administrative matters regarding foreign citizens and integrate the High Commission for the Migrations.

As part of this process, SEF inspectors will be transferred to the Judiciary Police, while non-police officials will be transferred to the future agency and to the Registry and Notary Institute.

This restructuring also foresees that SEF inspectors will continue to collaborate with the PSP and the GNR at air and maritime border posts during the first two years.