Lisbon, Sept. 3, (Lusa) - Trade unionists and colleagues of brake operator André Marques, one of the 16 victims of the Glória funicular derailment a year ago, laid a wreath on Thursday and observed a minute's silence on Calçada da Glória, near Restauradores in Lisbon.

The STRUP-Fetrans wreath, laid at the small pillar at the entrance to Calçada da Glória that has designated the Glória funicular as a National Monument since 1997, honoured the Carris brake operator.

Representatives of organisations supporting Carris workers, along with several employees, joined the general secretary of CGTP-IN, Tiago Oliveira, the president of Fectrans, José Manuel Oliveira, and the PCP municipal councillor, João Ferreira, at the site.

Manuel Leal, from the Portuguese Road and Urban Transport Workers' Union (STRUP), paid tribute to all the victims of the accident a year ago and, in particular, «to our colleague André Marques, the brake operator, who also lost his life in this tragic accident».

«There is still much to be said regarding the investigation into the causes and the search for solutions to prevent or minimise the circumstances under which a new tragedy might occur,» he stated, noting, however, that this was not the right moment.

This was followed by a minute's silence and the laying of a wreath of white flowers and a bouquet of yellow flowers.

Speaking to journalists, João Ferreira said he was honoured to attend the ceremony «organised by the workers and the organisations representing them», noting that it was «fair to acknowledge that, throughout this year, he has also been involved and has added his voice to a broader demand, which is, ultimately, that a duty towards these victims be fulfilled».

«The first and fundamental duty we have towards them is to carry out a rigorous, complete and thorough investigation into what happened, the causes of the accident and who is responsible for it. And it must be noted that a year has passed and this process is not yet complete,» said the city councillor.

João Ferreira pointed out that he is reiterating the statements he made a year ago, at the time of the accident, emphasising that it was an accident «that should never have happened».

«Unfortunately, a year on, we find that those who failed to take all necessary measures to prevent the accident from happening, and who were obliged to act beyond reproach in their response to the accident, including in their support for the victims and their families, have, regrettably, failed to provide all the support one would have expected,» he stated, referring to Carlos Moedas.

João Ferreira also emphasised that «important decisions» had been taken by Lisbon City Council aimed not only at ensuring that the victims were supported fully, but also at investigating the causes of the accident and establishing who was responsible, as well as measures to ensure that accidents of this kind do not happen again.

«Measures [were] decided upon which, a year on, have yet to be implemented,» he pointed out, noting that some measures «were initiated far too late», citing as an example the announced audits «which only began more than six months later and which have still not been completed», as well as measures that «simply never got off the ground».

João Ferreira criticised the way in which Carris's «maintenance resources and expertise» had been dismantled and the outsourcing of these services.

When asked about his absence from the opening ceremony of the memorial to the victims of the Glória funicular derailment earlier that day, at Largo do Oliveirinha, João Ferreira said it «was not an important issue» on this day of remembrance, but acknowledged that city councillors had been informed that the initiative involved several organisations, «but that members of the opposition on the city government were not supposed to be present».

In Largo do Oliveirinha, halfway up Calçada da Glória, the city has placed a 150-year-old olive tree and 16 limestone blocks to mark the first anniversary of the Glória derailment, which left 16 people dead and 24 injured, representing 15 different nationalities.

RCP/ADB // ADB.

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