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Strike shuts Lisbon subway for 24 hours

Xinhua, June 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

Lisbon subway employees staged a 24 hour strike on Thursday to protest the government's efforts to sell off the state-run company.

Portugal is reorganizing the debt-heavy public transport sector under a 78-billion-euro (about 89 billion U.S. dollars) bailout package it signed in 2011 and ended last year, and the concession has sparked continuous strikes since the plan was announced.

The privatization of the Lisbon subway and also bus carrier Carris were approved on Feb. 26.

Earlier this week the government revealed that five candidates have presented bids to buy stakes in the companies.

Paris transport operator RATP, United Kingdom-based public transport company National Express and Spain's second largest bus company Avanza presented bids for both companies.

Portuguese bus company Barraqueiro and Catalonian transport operator TCC (Transports Ciutat Comtal) are interested in Carris, and transport firm Transdev presented a bid for Lisbon subway.

The contracts for the concessions are expected to be signed from July 15. Endit