According to Albano Ribeiro of the SCP construction union, “the state owes 150 million euros” to the company for its work on the project and, at the union’s prompting, management is to seek an urgent meeting with the minister, José Vieira da Silva.
“These workers deserve more respect, because they are very highly qualified human capital, and the board should respect them,” said Ribeiro after a gathering of company employees at the premises of Somague Engenharia, at Linhó, in Sintra, near Lisbon.
Union officials had earlier met management to discuss the situation of some 700 employees whose jobs are said to be at risk. The company has been paying back salaries in instalments and cut benefits such as life and health insurance.
“I went in [to the meeting] worried and came out even more worried,” said Ribeiro, explaining that Somague – which is controlled by Spain’s Sacyr, has since January not been paying salaries on time. Last Wednesday “it paid the part that was missing from August”.
The 700 jobs are at risk because the company has no orders on its books, “and indeed has rejected works for Madeira, the Azores and in Angola” because they are worth less than €5 million. This, Ribeiro stressed, is despite the ongoing recovery of the construction sector in Portugal, with other major companies adapting to compete for smaller jobs such as paving roads for €70,000.
Asked for comment at the site, the Somague management sent a message via the security guard that it did not want to speak to the media.