Train Bar Workers Strike with 95% adhesion

“ A a vast majority of trains left without a bar on board. In fact, I would even say that the novelty would be to have trains with bars running, because the membership is massive ", said Lusa Luís Baptista, leader of the Workers' Union in the Industry of Hotels, Tourism, Restaurants and Similar South.

The Lusa agency has tried unsuccessfully to listen to the administration of Itau, a company that since April 2025 has operated the dining service of the bars of the Alfa Pendular and Intercities trains.

According to the union leader, “at Porto the strike is very close to 100%, it is practically total”, while in Lisbon the membership is “nearly 90%” and “it’s just not nearly total because there are more workers with more precarious employment contracts, who are afraid to join this phase”.

“ Joining the accession of Porto in Lisbon, we talk about a national accession of 95%,” said Luís Baptista, considering it to be “another great proof of struggle and unity” given by workers in defense of their rights.

The workers of the bars of the long-haul trains of CP today began a new strike, for an indefinite time, in defense of the rights provided for in the Company Agreement (AE) by Itau.

Accusing the company of “refuse, from day one, to respect rights enshrined in the EE”, the union states that, “more recently, it aggravated the conflict” by going on to “no longer pay the 22 days of food allowance provided for in the agreement and only to pay the days actually worked”.

With regard to the meetings “repeatedly” requested since “for several months” to the government, the union says to continue without any response, so on Tuesday the workers will focus on the Secretary of State for Mobility “to demand that the meeting requested for protection be scheduled”.

The Federation of Food, Beverage, Hospitality and Tourism Unions of Portugal (Fesaht) and the Union of Hospitality of the South, committed to CGTP, stress that they have tried over the last year to “resolve the conflict through negotiation, without prejudice to CP workers and users”.

“ However, Itau maintains its position, causing losses of about 200 euros per month to workers, despite receiving millions of euros from the public company CP to ensure the granting of the cafeteria service and meals on board long-distance trains”, they state in a statement.

With the strike launched today, the workers demand full compliance with the EE, the replacement of the payment corresponding to 22 days of food allowance, “fair” wage increases with retroactives to January, the updating of the clauses of financial expression, working conditions “worthy for workers on board and land” and the negotiation and signing of a new EE with Itau.

In 2025, train bar workers have already served 18 days of strike in defense of the EE and, in 2026, have maintained the struggle through a strike on holidays, weekends and extraordinary work.