CP Conductors and Ticket Office Staff Strike on 30 October, the Same Morning as the Lisbon Metro: the Union's Demands and How to Get a Refund

Train conductors, ticket-office staff and their supervisors at Comboios de Portugal (CP), the state railway, will strike for 24 hours on Friday 30 October. CP warns of disruption to its trains that day, with possible knock-on effects on Thursday 29 and Saturday 31 October. It falls on the same morning as a partial Lisbon Metro strike.

Who is striking

The strike was called by the Sindicato Ferroviário da Revisão Comercial Itinerante (SFRCI), the rail union for on-board conductors and ticket inspectors. CP's own passenger notice names the SFRCI and lists every service from Alfa Pendular to the Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra suburban trains as affected. According to ECO, citing Lusa, the strike covers revisores (conductors), ticket-office workers and supervisors, and runs for 24 hours.

What the union wants

Luís Bravo of the SFRCI told Lusa, as reported by RTP, that the strike is about the value of the work and the "dignity" of workers' living conditions, squeezed by rising fuel, housing, food, gas and electricity costs. Because of their shifts, and because there is no public transport at some hours, many must drive to work, he said, and in some places pay for parking. The union says pay rises won so far do not make up for the loss of purchasing power. Its demands are:

• a higher travel allowance during 2026, backdated to July;
• an end to talks on how work on uncompensated rest days is paid;
• immediate publication in the Boletim do Trabalho e Emprego (BTE), the official labour bulletin, of all pay and other agreements in force, including the 2025 and 2026 pay rises;
• urgent talks to revise the company agreement and the career rules;
• timetables adjusted to the real state of the track wherever delays are systematic, as staff are blamed by passengers for delays caused by track problems.

The union says workers will maintain the services needed to keep equipment and installations safe.

Is there a minimum service?

None of the reports or CP's notice mentions a minimum train service. As of 22 October, the list of minimum service rulings published by the Conselho Económico e Social (CES), the Economic and Social Council whose arbitration panels decide them, carries no ruling for this strike.

Refunds and ticket changes

CP says anyone who already holds a ticket for an Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, international, InterRegional or Regional train can have the full fare refunded, or swap it free for another train of the same category and class. Its notice gives three routes:

• Online, for tickets bought on digital channels: the "Pós-Venda" (after-sales) area of the CP website or "As minhas viagens" (My trips) in the CP app, up to 15 minutes before the train leaves your departure station.
• At a CP ticket office, before or after the travel date, up to 10 days after the strike ends.
• The online "Reembolso por Atraso ou Supressão" form (refund for delay or cancellation), which CP warns takes longer.

The notice does not set out a refund rule for suburban tickets or passes. CP's helpline is 210 900 032.

The Metro on the same morning

Lisbon Metro workers are due to stop work from 05:00 to 10:00 on 28 and 30 October, as we reported last week. In its 16 October statement, the Metro said it would ask the arbitration panel to set minimum services for both days. The CES list shows no ruling yet; for the 14 October strike, the panel set no minimum train service at all. If you rely on either, plan another route now.