Commercial workers in Portugal, on strike to demand a wage increase

Commercial workers in Portugal are holding a strike this Sunday, the follow-up of which is difficult to estimate, as it coincides with the Christmas Eve festivities, although their union claims that it has caused the closure of some supermarkets in Lisbon.

The Trade, Office and Service Workers Union of Portugal (CESP) indicated in a statement on its website that the protest is taking place to demand an increase in salaries.

“The prices of everything have risen, but your salary also has to increase significantly,” reads the CESP call.

According to local media, which cite union sources, the strike has caused the total or partial closure of some supermarkets in the Lisbon region.

Added to this protest is another one, by employees of distribution companies, which began yesterday and lasts until this Sunday called by the Service Sector Workers Union (SITESE).

According to a statement from this group, companies in the sector have achieved the commercial and financial results they desired this year, but their managers “refuse” to update the salary tables of their workers.

Therefore, they argue that they have organized this protest because “dignity is not a gift, but a right.”