Portugal set for major disruptions in first general strike in 12 years

The walkout is expected to be Portugal’s largest since June 2013 amid action against a bill to simplify the firing process.

Portugal is bracing for a widespread impact nationally from its first general strike in 12 years, as unions urge action against the centre-right minority government’s planned workers’ rights reforms.

Heavy disruption is expected for public transport, schools, courts and hospitals on Thursday, 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 a strike.

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The walkout is likely to be 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 is organising 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’

Private sector unions are set to join the action.

The TAP Air Portugal national airline expects just a third of its 250 usual flights to get off the ground, while the national railway company has warned the disruption could spill over into Friday.

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.

On the eve of the strike, Montenegro said he hoped “that the country will function as normally as possible … because the rights of some must not infringe on the rights of others”.

Although his party lacks a majority in parliament, Montenegro’s government should be able to force the bill through with the support of the liberals – and the far right, which has become the second-largest political force in Portugal.

The left-wing opposition has accused Montenegro’s camp of not telling voters that workers’ rights rollbacks were on the cards while campaigning for the last parliamentary elections.

Although Portugal has recorded economic growth of about 2 percent and a historically low unemployment rate of some 6 percent, the prime minister has argued that the country should take advantage of the favourable climate to push through reforms.