Reuters || LISBON, Dec 11 (Reuters) – Train services ground to a halt across Portugal on Thursday, hundreds of flights were cancelled, and schools closed as unions launched a first general strike in over a decade and thousands of workers marched in protest against proposed labour reforms.
The minority centre-right government says the proposed changes – amending more than 100 labour-code articles – aim to boost productivity and spur economic growth. But unions accuse it of tilting power toward employers at the expense of workers’ rights, despite a strong economy and low unemployment.
The bill, yet to be submitted to parliament, is expected to pass with backing from the far-right Chega party.
‘WORKERS ARE NOT MACHINES’
Workers rallied by the parliament building in central Lisbon, some carrying signs that read “No to the labor package” and “Firing without reason is doing the boss’ bidding”.
“The reform gives privileges to the privileged and ends up harming those who are already suffering,” 25-year-old administrative assistant Rafaela Jesus said as she marched.
Helena Monteiro, a 50-year-old teacher, said the package represented the “general dehumanisation” of labour laws: “They are forgetting that workers are human beings and not machines”.
Some public transport operated due to minimum service requirements imposed by authorities, but Lisbon’s streets were noticeably quieter. While hospitals stayed open, most surgeries and appointments have been postponed as nursing staff walked out.
The government played down the impact and said workers in the private sector, who outnumber public sector employees roughly five to one, did not join the labour action, although some were affected by transport stoppages.
“The vast majority of the country is working … This seems more like a partial public sector strike” than a general one, Cabinet Minister Antonio Leitao Amaro told a news briefing.
“The government is only trying to minimise the impact of the strike to continue pushing its political agenda, but the workers will certainly resist, as they are doing now,” Tiago Oliveira, secretary-general of the umbrella union CGTP, told reporters, adding that a “major general strike” was underway.
FIRST GENERAL STRIKE SINCE BAILOUT ERA
Called by the largest unions CGTP and UGT, the one-day action is the first general strike since June 2013, when Portugal was under harsh austerity measures imposed by an international bailout that cut wages and lifted taxes.
The labour reforms envision easing just-cause dismissals in small- and medium-sized businesses and lifting limits on outsourcing. Other contentious measures include capping flexible-work rights for breastfeeding mothers at two years.
The government says the changes will ultimately benefit all Portuguese. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro pledged on Wednesday that his administration “will not give up on being reformist and transformative”.
Al Jazeera || Widespread disruption has hit Portuguese air travel and trains, hospitals and schools after trade unions called the biggest nationwide strike action in more than a decade against government labour reforms.
Heavy disruption on Thursday has been felt across public sectors as workers protest against a draft law aiming to simplify firing procedures, extend the length of fixed-term contracts and expand the minimum services required during industrial disputes.
Some public transport operated due to minimum service requirements imposed by authorities, but the capital, Lisbon’s, streets were noticeably quieter.
Lisbon’s main train station was empty with most services cancelled and the TAP Air Portugal national airline called off about two-thirds of its usual 250 flights.
While hospitals stayed open, most surgeries and appointments have been postponed as nursing staff walked out.
Thursday’s walkout is Portugal’s largest since June 2013, when the country was forced to gut public spending in exchange for international aid after being engulfed by a debt crisis that affected several European nations.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has insisted that the labour reforms, with more than 100 measures, were intended to “stimulate economic growth and pay better salaries”.
But the communist-leaning General Confederation of the Portuguese Worker (CGTP) and more moderate General Union of Workers (UGT) have lambasted the plans.
The CGTP organised about 20 demonstrations across the country. Its secretary-general, Tiago Oliveira, called the reforms “among the biggest attacks on the world of work”.
He told the AFP news agency that the government action would “normalise job insecurity”, “deregulate working hours” and “make dismissals easier.’
Of a working population of some five million people, about 1.3 million are already in insecure positions, Oliveira said.
‘Already a success’
With Portugal set to elect a new president in early 2026, Oliveira said he considered the strike was “already a success” as it had drawn public attention to the government’s labour reforms.
“Without a doubt, we’ll have a great general strike,” the union leader added.
Public opinion is largely behind the action, with 61 percent of those polled in favour of the walkout, according to a survey published in the Portuguese press.
Ilkha || Portugal witnessed a historic 24-hour general strike on Thursday, bringing the country’s transport systems and public services to a near standstill in protest against the government’s proposed labor reforms.
The strike, called by major labor unions, marked the first nationwide general strike in 12 years. It aimed to challenge reforms that unions say would make layoffs easier, increase working hours flexibility, and negatively affect employee rights such as maternity leave.
In the capital Lisbon, metro lines were closed from midnight, while intercity buses and trains across the country were suspended. Air travel was also heavily disrupted: Air Europa canceled all flights connected to Portugal, Iberia suspended 75% of its services, and TAP Portugal and other carriers operated only minimal flights.
Protests accompanying the strike erupted in Lisbon and several other cities, with demonstrators expressing opposition to policies they say threaten stable and dignified livelihoods. “The government wants to eliminate the right to a stable and dignified life,” Tiago Oliveira, General Secretary of CGTP-IN, stated.
Authorities reported that emergency services were maintained at a minimum level, but the strike caused significant disruptions to daily life, affecting commuters, students, and public institutions nationwide.
The unions have pledged continued mobilization if the government proceeds with the labor reform without negotiation. The situation remains closely monitored as both officials and union leaders assess the strike’s impact.
This nationwide strike highlights growing tensions in Portugal over labor policies and workers’ rights, capturing attention across both national and international media outlets.
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