It is yet another start to the week where many immigrants, who have waited months for an appointment, will have to wait even longer. Cultural mediators at the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) are on a national strike this Monday, March 30th. The professionals are demanding to be integrated into the agency's permanent staff. These mediators are subcontracted by AIMA through associations. DN/DN Brasil found that in Porto, strike participation is over 70%. In Lisbon, the location with the most disruptions is the Loja dos Anjos, where hundreds of people pass through daily. This is the second consecutive week to begin with a strike, leaving immigrants without service. Last week, the stoppage was by the civil service. In both cases, citizens waited months to secure an appointment, which will now have to be rescheduled. Speaking to Lusa, Artur Sequeira, a leader of the National Federation of Unions of Workers in Public and Social Functions (FNSTPS), blamed the Government for the situation. 'The constraint felt at this moment is that service is closed. The only culprit for this situation is the Government, it is the AIMA oversight body, because it does not resolve a problem demanded by the sociocultural mediators subcontracted in IPSS at AIMA,' the union leader declared. There are about 200 professionals demanding direct hiring. These workers perform various functions at the institution, especially in public service. In addition to the strike, a protest is scheduled for 3:00 PM in front of the Government headquarters. The AIMA office in Leiria has no reopening forecast, and immigrants are met with closed doors. AIMA faces 'a huge challenge ahead' with the end of the Mission Structure.