On 8th and 9th December, cabin crew for TAP Air will strike over wage cuts, staff shortages and poor working conditions. The airline has already announced the cancellation of 360 flights and the walkout is likely to affect around 50,000 passengers across Portugal.
According to a judgment published yesterday, the minimum services for the TAP cabin crew strike, scheduled for Thursday and Friday this week means that three daily flights must be ensured and return to the Azores, “two to Ponta Delgada and one to Terceira” and “two daily flights to and from the Autonomous Region of Madeira”. A return flight on each of the days of the strike must also take place to Angola, Brazil (São Paulo), France, Belgium, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland.
The document also states that a one-way flight will have to be made throughout the period of this strike to Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Cape Verde.
Rail strikes are also taking place in the UK throughout December and into January. The Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) announced that its 40,000 members will walk out for eight days during the festive season.
The dates of the strike will be 13th-14th and 16th-17th December as well as 3rd-4th and 6th-7th January. Nearly every train operator will be impacted as RMT members at National Rail and 14 train companies go on strike.
RMT has also announced that workers will walk out from 6pm on 24th December until 27th, as the row over pay escalates.
Just one in five trains is expected to run on strike days and on the days either side, services will run at around 60% of normal.
It's likely that timetables will be adjusted to cope with the walkout, so make sure to check if your train is still running before you travel.
Hundreds of baggage handlers at Heathrow Airport are also walking out over the Christmas period. They are on strike for 72 hours from 4am on 16th December.
The Unite union expects that it will cause some disruption for passengers in the run-up to the busy festive period.
Members of Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union, which represents Passport Office and Border Force staff, have also voted for a strike over Christmas. It is yet to confirm dates but this action could lead to queues at airports and ports.
