"Given that the strike is over, I would say that within the next 48 hours, with the normal pace of work, all filling stations would be replenished," Francisco São Bento told Lusa in an interview a few hours after the news broke that the union had called off its indefinite strike for a new contract and better pay.

The strike ended after the National Union of Dangerous Materials Drivers (SNMMP) and the employers’ body, the National Association of Road Freight Carriers (ANTRAM), reached agreement, with the government arbitrating.

São Bento stressed that sector workers "are very good professionals" and so would be able to get things back to normal quickly.

However, he denounced what he said were the poor working conditions they face, saying that they jeopardise their safety and that of other road users.

"The working conditions are horrific,” he said. “We are talking about workers who daily haul 36,000 litres of chemicals per trip, with working hours 15, 16 or 17 hours a day.”

The Portuguese Association of Petroleum Companies (Apetro) had earlier told Lusa that it could take up to five days for the supply situation to be fully restored, although many filling stations would be back to normal before that.

Earlier, at a news conference held after the meeting between employers and the union, government officials said that guarantees of "social peace" had been achieved, with a first meeting to negotiate on the matters in dispute to take place on 29 April. In an agreement signed at the meeting, ANTRAM and the union undertake to conclude a process of bargaining by the end of this year.

The national strike by drivers of lorries carrying hazardous materials began at midnight on Sunday, and soon led to shortages at filling stations around the country.