Portugal unions to hold major strike

Portugal faced a 24-hour general strike in protest at the government’s harsh austerity policies, and the high level of unemployment.

Thursday’s strike in the capital, Lisbon, which is called by the country’s two main labor unions, UGT and CGTP, stopped trains and the Lisbon metro and cut the bus services in half.
Meanwhile, state-owned airline TAP (Transportes Aéreos Portugueses) has warned of possible disruption to flights as air traffic controllers and ground staff are expected to take part in the work stoppage.
The one-day stoppage marked Portugal’s fourth general strike in two years against the government, which has imposed major austerity measures.
The administration of Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has faced growing unemployment and a deepening recession as the premier slashed spending and raised taxes in a bid to meet the terms of a 78-billion-euro ($102 billion) aid plan from the euro area and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The Portuguese government also wants to review state workers’ pay, and their working week will increase to 40 hours from 35 hours in 2013, in line with the private sector.