“The workforce has mandated the union to call a 48-hour strike on 17 and 18 September. This action will go ahead unless a key demand is met: ending the pay discrimination at Horários do Funchal,” union official Manuel Oliveira stated.

The SNMOT held two worker meetings: one with drivers from the private company Siga Rodoeste, and another with employees of the public operator Horários do Funchal.

For Siga Rodoeste, which employs around 80 drivers, the meeting resulted in scheduling a September negotiation with the Funchal Commercial and Industrial Association (ACIF/CCIM), which represents the sector’s employers.

At Horários do Funchal, where 350 drivers are employed, the meeting confirmed the plan for a September strike. The company has already experienced two stoppages this year, on 25-26 June and 20 July.

The SNMOT is demanding a salary adjustment of at least €30.65 per month, the reopening of negotiations to reduce the weekly working hours from 39 to 35, and, crucially, an end to wage discrimination. “This is a non-negotiable condition,” Oliveira stressed, adding that discussions on working hours would naturally take place in a phased manner.

The pay disparity arises from an agreement between Horários do Funchal management and another union, the Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rodoviários e Atividades Metalúrgicas da Madeira (STRAMM), which granted a €20 increase in base pay from 1 January 2025, covering both unionised and non-unionised employees.

Members of the SNMOT were excluded from this raise, and tensions remain high among the union, company management, and the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP), which oversees Horários do Funchal.