Lisbon Metro Trains Roll Again, Yet Strike Threat Still Looms

Rush-hour silence gave way to the familiar rumble of trains this week as the Lisbon Metro returned to full service after two morning stoppages that left thousands of commuters queueing for buses. The network is running smoothly again, yet the wage dispute behind those disruptions remains unsettled — a point worth noting if your daily routine, school run or airport transfer depends on Portugal’s largest underground system.

What triggered the early-morning shutdowns?

The walkouts on 9 and 11 September were the latest flashpoint in a long-running standoff between the state-owned operator, Metropolitano de Lisboa, and its workforce, represented by several unions under the umbrella of Fectrans. Staff staged partial strikes that covered different shifts — drivers from 05:00-10:00, workshop mechanics from 07:00-12:00, administrative staff from 07:30-12:30 and track crews overnight. Because the arbitration tribunal declined to impose minimum service levels, trains were simply pulled from the tunnels during the busiest part of the morning.

The pay packet issues at the heart of the dispute

Union delegates say pay has failed to keep pace with Lisbon’s climbing cost of living and point to three specific demands: a larger meal allowance, higher Christmas and holiday bonuses and a shorter maximum work week. Management counters that the company is already constrained by a government-mandated 5 % cap on the public-enterprise wage bill for 2025. Two revised proposals have been tabled, but workers rejected both in late-night plenaries, calling them insufficient to offset inflation and longer shifts tied to the network’s ongoing expansion.

How the stoppages rippled through the city

With four metro lines out of action until around 10:30, an estimated 450 000 daily riders scrambled for alternatives. Surface operators Carris and several private bus companies reported vehicles leaving key hubs such as Campo Grande at capacity and bypassing stops further along their routes. Ride-share prices spiked, even outside the city centre, and some commuters opted to work remotely to avoid the gridlock. The lack of imposed minimum services markedly amplified the impact compared with previous greves when at least a skeleton timetable was maintained.

Government stance and the legal backdrop

Although the metro sits under the Ministry of Environment and Infrastructure, officials have stayed largely silent, leaving negotiations to management. Under Portuguese labour law, the DGERT can mediate if both sides request it, but no formal mediation has been announced. The arbitration court’s refusal to set minimum services signals that, legally, the strikes satisfied proportionality requirements, even if the public bore the brunt of the inconvenience.

Are more strikes looming?

For now, union leaders have no fresh dates on the calendar, and the metro’s control room says operations will remain "normal" in the coming days. Still, both sides confirm that nothing is signed. Should talks stall, unions may deliver the legally required five-day notice and call new partial walkouts, likely again targeting the commuter peaks that maximise leverage.

Survival guide for expats and visitors

If you are new to Lisbon, keep a backup plan in mind. Register with the official Metro app or its X (formerly Twitter) feed for real-time alerts. A rechargeable Navegante pass works on all metro, Carris and suburban rail services, so you can pivot quickly to surface transport. Consider a foldable bike for the last kilometre; most trains and buses allow bicycles outside rush hour. When strikes coincide with flights, the Aerobus and the inexpensive 744 Carris line both reach Aeroporto Humberto Delgado from the historic centre.

Bigger picture: labour unrest beyond the tunnels

The metro dispute mirrors a broader wave of public-sector bargaining in Portugal, from teachers pressing for career-progression pay to nurses demanding overtime reform. For foreign residents, this means occasional service hiccups are likely to remain part of life in a country where collective action is constitutionally protected and widely used. Planning ahead, and understanding the local context, will keep those interruptions to little more than a minor detour on your Portuguese adventure.