Name: Portugal general strike: Tens of thousands protest new labour law
Uploaded: 2025-12-12T00:37:12.345Z
Duration: 1 min 49 s
Description: Portugal faces major disruption as tens of thousands join a general strike—the country’s largest walkout in over a decade.

Portugal faces major disruption as tens of thousands join a general strike—the country’s largest walkout in over a decade.

Lisbon

A general strike in Portugal has caused widespread disruption to transport and public services, with planes, buses, and the Lisbon metro operating at minimal capacity. The strike, involving transport, healthcare, and municipal workers, was organized by trade unions in response to proposed labour reforms by the centre-right government.

Protesters argue that the new legislation would erode workers' rights and make it easier for companies to dismiss employees. The government, led by Prime Minister Luiz Montenegro, has defended the reforms as necessary for boosting productivity and competitiveness, while expressing willingness to negotiate.

Portugal general strike: Tens of thousands protest new labour law

Well, for anyone trying to get around Portugal today, it is extremely challenging because of the strike. Planes and buses running skeletal services, the metro in Lisbon completely shut, and here at one of the main train stations in the city, while there are barely any ever trains and there are barely any people at all, this station would normally be extremely busy, but it is nearly empty. I didn't know yesterday, but I figured I'd just turn up to this station and see if there were any trains running. Well, it's not only transport workers that are on strike, but also other public sector workers, including doctors, teachers, nurses, municipal workers, and they've gathered here before joining a march on the Portuguese parliament that's been called for by trade unions. What people here are angry about is the centre-right government's proposed labour reforms. People here say those reforms would erode workers' rights. They say, for example, that it would make it easier for companies to fire people. Mainly to protest against a huge change to legislation that was not announced by the current government in campaign at all, so this is very unexpected for everyone. Now, the government, the Prime Minister Luiz Montenegro, has condemned this strike, saying you're bringing the country to a halt, is saying to trade unions, why are you using such archaic methods? The government says it's open to negotiation, not that these people feel very convinced by that. The government also says that the changes to the law are necessary in order to boost productivity in the country, to make, they say, Portugal more competitive. Sasha Butler, Al Jazeera, Lisbon.

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