The Regional Government of Madeira imposed minimum services in the two-day strike of Horários do Funchal, called by the National Union of Drivers and Other Workers (SNMOT) on the 17th and 18th of September (Wednesday and Thursday).
In an order, published in the Official Journal of the Autonomous Region of Madeira on the 12th of September, the Court justifies the imposition of minimum services by pointing out that Horários do Funchal is the only public passenger transport concessionaire in the capital of Madeira, transporting a daily average of 63,000 people, covering a territory of 232 km2.
The order stresses that the public transport constitutes an “essential service” (according to Law No 23/96, of 26 June) and that the satisfaction of “needs social rights,” namely: the right to travel from places of residence, mobility of people with disabilities, the transport of students at the beginning of the school year and the access of workers to critical sectors such as health, homes, commerce, food and tourism.
For those using the buses, plan and be aware that buses may be crowded.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
