https://www.jn.pt/nacional/artigo/registos-e-notariado-em-greve-entre-8-e-13-de-junho/18087232
The Union of Registry and Notary Workers (STRN) has decided to proceed with a national strike between June 8 and 13, having already sent the strike notice to the Government.
In a statement, the STRN accused the Government of “maintaining a situation considered illegal, unfair and unsustainable in the registry sector,” since it continues to refuse the agreement advocated by the union, deciding to leave “the sector on the verge of collapse.”
The union representing registry and notary workers added that there is a “lack of solutions to the structural problems affecting registry services across the country.”
In the strike notice, already delivered to the Government, the STRN (Union of Registry and Notary Publics) makes 11 demands , which include “a shock recruitment of the number of registry officials and registrars who are currently lacking” and compliance with the Ombudsman’s recommendation to eliminate salary disparities.
The human resources crisis is serious for STRN, with 279 registrars and 2731 registry officers missing – equivalent to 38% and 55%, respectively, of the necessary staff.
The announced strike aims to raise awareness of the degradation of public services due to “lack of investment and government inaction,” stated the president of STRN, Arménio Maximino, also in a press release. He added that the union opposes “the continued sharp decline that has been occurring, as well as the fact that citizens are not being treated with privacy, which is in clear violation of the GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation].”
The STRN also pointed out that the Government wants to eliminate the category of specialist registry officer, “despite the fact that the PSD, currently in power, denounced in 2023 the same practice that it now seeks to consolidate,” the statement reads.
In addition to this change, the union denounced that the Government intends to “maintain a savings model at the expense of citizens’ and workers’ rights,” since the measures demanded by STRN represent 0.49% of IRN’s annual revenue.
“This situation is incompatible with a minimally functional public service. STRN warns that this lack of professionals has caused significant delays in the provision of services in the areas of land, commercial, vehicle and civil registration, as well as nationality,” the statement also reads.
In April, STRN had already given the Government ten days to study and analyze the proposed agreement, without ruling out, even then, going on strike if there was no understanding, and warned of worsening delays in registries and notary services during the summer, having presented a contingency plan to recover from the delays.