Portugal’s mainland ports face a new series of 24-hour strikes from 21 November to 13 December as the National Union of Port Administration Workers (SNTAP) escalates a dispute with the government over a stalled pay agreement. The stoppages will run from 00:00 to 24:00 on 21–22 November, 25–26 November, 28–29 November, 2–4 December, 9 December and 12–13 December.
The action covers workers at the port authorities of Douro/Leixões/Viana do Castelo, Aveiro , Figueira da Foz, Lisbon, Setúbal, Sines and Algarve, as well as employees of CLT – Companhia Logística de Terminais Marítimos – the Galp-owned operator of the liquid bulk terminal in Sines.
The strikes follow earlier stoppages between 23 October and 8 November that resulted in delayed and cancelled ship calls at several ports.
SNTAP says the core issue is the Finance Ministry’s refusal to authorise implementation of a sector-wide pay agreement signed on 18 December 2024 between the union and all mainland port authorities. The deal would add another pay band for port administration workers and align hourly pay calculations with Portugal’s Labour Code. In a communiqué, the union criticised what it describes as the government’s “total silence” over the agreement and the Finance Ministry’s “anachronistic and excessive control” over port authorities, arguing this undermines the sector’s strategic “Portos 5+” plan.
The strike applies to workers in the port administrations and to CLT staff at Sines, but excludes ports in Madeira and the Azores and cargo operations in mainland ports on vessels whose origin or destination is those archipelagos.
Regional media reported that the new strikes are not expected to affect the port of Caniçal. At CLT’s liquid bulk terminal in Sines, minimum service levels have been imposed by an arbitration panel of the Economic and Social Council. These include shipments of fuel to Madeira and the Azores, aviation fuel for civil and military airports, minimum operations to keep the Sines refinery running, LNG movements and emergency response.
Exporters and ship agents warn of severe disruption. The Portuguese Shippers’ Council (CPC), representing major exporters including EDP, Petrogal, Navigator, Cimpor, Sovena and Somincor, has urged the government to intervene “without delay”. CPC says the repeated stoppages “further aggravate the operational instability of national ports”, leading to risks of ships held at anchor, stock-outs for industrial and retail companies, higher logistics costs due to diversions to foreign ports and potential damage to the “Portos 5+” strategy.
Ship agents grouped in AGEPOR cite “significant impacts”, noting that the previous strikes resulted in “at least 30 or 40 cancelled calls”, mostly cruise ships, while cargo vessels faced schedule reshuffles. AGEPOR’s president, António Belmar da Costa, criticised the government for not speaking with “one voice” on the agreed pay deal. Major shipping and freight companies have advised customers to expect delays, congestion and timetable changes at Leixões, Lisbon, Sines and other affected ports, recommending additional transit time and alternative routings on strike days.
The first two strike dates coincide with a national public-sector walkout on 21 November called by the FESINAP federation. The dispute also unfolds amid wider labour action, with UGT and CGTP calling a general strike for 11 December. In the arbitration hearing on minimum services at CLT, SNTAP said it does not expect to participate in the 11 December general strike and does not foresee significant participation by its members.
SNTAP is the National Union of Port Administration Workers is a Portuguese trade union representing employees of mainland port administrations. Its membership includes operational personnel involved in maritime traffic, pilotage support and port services.
Companhia Logística de Terminais Marítimos is a logistics and terminal-operations company within the Galp Energia corporate group. It holds a public-service concession to manage liquid bulk activities at the Port of Sines.
