The strike had practically no effect in Matosinhos. Apart from a few schools and the Civil Registry services, everything was working in the city center, where most people didn't even realize it was a national strike day
Font: JN
If it weren't for the images of parents walking down the street with school-age children by the hand, it would almost seem like a normal day in the center of the city of Matosinhos, where only a few educational establishments and the Civil Registry were closed due to lack of staff.
At the Finance building, which usually acts as a kind of barometer of adherence to Public Administration strikes, a piece of paper posted on the door warns citizens that due to the national strike they are only accepting pre-bookings. However, even so, no appointments are being made, as one Finance employee warns. "I don't know if you will be seen, but just wait. That's the only thing I can say.
Abílio Pinto is one of those people who chose to wait. "I need documents to apply for social housing. I've already been to Social Security and got a ticket to be seen. But since it's taking so long, I've come to the Tax Office to try to do the rest," he says, not even knowing that it's a national strike day.
In fact, the doors of the Civil Registry are only closed on the second floor of the Finance building, which surprised Vanessa Costa. "I purposely came to pick up my citizen's card. I need it for yesterday. I have to buy a plane ticket to go to Paris. I didn't know about the strike. I thought that I could solve everything in five minutes and now I'm going to be late for work and without a citizen's card", she laments, admitting that she is already a little upset with the strikes: "People have this right, but they should think about how they can protest without affecting other people so much".
On the fourth floor, the Land Registry office is running smoothly. "Good. I had an urgent matter to resolve and managed to resolve everything without being late for work," stresses Maria Inácio, showing understanding for the strike, despite not knowing the reasons. "I think that everyone should fight for their causes. We are in a very bad way. I imagine they feel there aren't enough employees, for example.
With the health center functioning normally, and the "loja do munícipe" (local clerk's store) as well, in the center of the city of Matosinhos even the public transportation doesn't remind us that it's a strike day.
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