Austerity | "Major Strike" in Portugal

The "Frente Comum" is pleased with the participation in the nationwide public sector strike in Portugal on Friday. According to a statement from the 29-union strike front, the workers sent "a sign of strength." Its coordinator, Sebastião Santana, sent a message to the center-right coalition led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro: "The government must understand once and for all that the proposals it is putting forward will be rejected by the workers." He added that it was "undoubtedly one of the strongest strikes in recent years."

It was the first major strike since the snap elections in May. Participation was reported at around 80 percent, but in some areas it was even higher, as the president of the National Medical Association, Joana Bordalo e Sá, emphasized. At times, with the exception of basic medical services, there was even 100 percent participation. The situation in education was similar: "Hundreds of schools remained closed," Santana explained of the announced "major strike."

The primary focus was on better pay and better working conditions. The abolition of fixed-term contracts in the public sector was demanded. A lack of investment in healthcare and education, as the minority government's budget plans for the coming year show, is also causing concern. Employees fear that this will further worsen working conditions. To compensate for the years of high inflation, wage increases of "no less than 15 percent" and at least €150 are being demanded. In contrast, the government, according to the draft budget, is only offering a salary increase of 2.5 percent.

The unions, however, see financial leeway and also point to sharply rising military spending. In addition, the government expects a budget surplus for 2025 and 2026. The European statistics agency Eurostat confirmed this for the first half of 2025, while the EU average recorded a deficit of almost three percent. However, the government wants to use this to reduce wage taxes and, above all, corporate taxes.

Meanwhile, the public sector is being bled dry, warns the president of the doctors' association. "We are currently witnessing the destruction of the national health service." Younger doctors, in particular, have no prospects, according to Bordalo e Sá. Therefore, the strike was primarily "about defending our public health service." It is outrageous that more than half of the planned €17 billion budget is flowing to the private sector for examinations, operations, and medications.

According to the union representative, there is already a shortage of care. Due to a lack of emergency rooms, deliveries have already occurred "on the street or in ambulances." This will be exacerbated by the plans of Health Minister Ana Paula Martins, who wants to centralize emergency facilities. Pregnant women would then have to travel more than 100 kilometers to give birth and might only be able to reach emergency rooms "that don't guarantee 24-hour service."

Overall, critics also complain about a lack of dialogue. This dialogue only began during the strike preparations, after the budget had already been finalized. However, workers cannot accept a budget that worsens working conditions and reduces investment in public services, explains coordinator Santana, who expects a prolonged struggle. He points out that workers' struggles have already brought down governments and always ensured "the improvement of working conditions." On November 8, the struggle continues with a large demonstration against the "shameful" labor reform package in the capital, Lisbon.