Europe

Portugal police protest over cuts to pay, benefits

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Thousands of Portuguese police officers have staged a protest in the capital city of Lisbon against the government’s cuts to pay and benefits.

According to reports, more than 10,000 police officers gathered outside the parliament in the capital on Thursday to express their anger at cuts to their pay, pensions and welfare benefits as part of government austerity measures.

The mass demonstration was called by the Coordinating Commission of Trade Unions and Associations of the Professionals of the Security Forces after several rounds of talks between unions and government authorities failed.

Protesters demanded the government’s immediate action to improve work conditions for the sector’s employees, including putting an end to austerity measures as well as wage and benefit cuts.

Earlier last month, hundreds of military personnel also gathered in Lisbon to censure the crisis-hit country’s plans to cut the military budget and to express their anger at pay and pension cuts.

Moreover, thousands of police officers rallied outside the parliament and managed to briefly occupy the legislature steps in November last year.

Battered by the global financial downturn, the Portuguese economy fell into a recession, which compelled the country to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund and the EU for a bailout loan in 2011.

In return for the bailout, the EU and IMF demanded the Portuguese government to abide by a string of terms and conditions, including more public spending cuts and tax rises.

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