Petrofer workers in the Algarve have voted to 'suspend their contracts' so they at least can apply for unemployment benefits after months of impasse.
The employees of Petrofer’s filling stations got together today to discuss their options, one of which is formally to suspend their own contracts due to wage arrears and the other was the continuing problem that they have no fuel or goods to sell.
Workers' spokesperson Cátia Morais said that the new owners of Petrofer still have not provided answers to workers as to why they have not been paid for two months.
This is hurting the 54 employees of its 14 service stations in the Algarve and the workers now "give the company a notice of eight days" before moving forward with the 'suspension of contracts' measure.
"The first problem is that the wages are in arrears. There are some people that if not paid on November 9, will then be three months in arrears” said Morais in late October, adding that "filling stations are without fuel, without any stock or materials in the stores, except at the three Tangerine shops. Right now, the stations are open but workers have nothing to do."
Petrofer was sold on September 30, 2014 and the new owners simply have starved the business of stock, are refusing to communicate with their staff and could safely be said to be hiding away in their Faro office.
Workers have been picketing the corporate headquarters in Faro in "an attempt to pressure the administration to give us an answer," but there has been no sight or sound from the purchasers of what appeared to be a viable business.
Morais said, “we are in the same position that we were in on October 31. We still cannot talk to anyone from the new administration and they continue to postpone meetings, which is unfortunate."
The media has been trying to get a statement from the mysterious new owners who so far have refused to talk to their staff or the press.
