View from Portugal: Strike adds to plunging confidence
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tired of paying the price for the country's financial troubles, hundreds of thousands of Portuguese workers walked out on strike yesterday in protest against government plans to raise taxes, freeze pensions and cut public sector salaries. Factories halted production, trains sat idle, schools closed and air traffic was grounded at Lisbon's airport in Portugal's largest general strike for 22 years.
The strike, led by the nation's two major unions, representing 1.5 million people, comes as the Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates attempts to restore investor confidence in the country with a second round of deficit-reducing measures. As its bond ratings take a beating, the Portuguese government is trying to escape the fate of Greece and Ireland, where debt crises led to near financial collapse and bailouts. But Portuguese workers fear the austerity measures will fuel unemployment and hurt the poorest sectors of society, who are forced to pay the price for investor jitters.
"It's the workers who are paying for the crisis, not the bankers nor the shareholders of big companies," Leandro Martins, a 65-year-old pensioner, told Reuters.
"People are outraged by the injustice," a trade union leader, Manuel Carvalho da Silva, said.
That anger stopped 80 per cent of the country's trains running, all of Lisbon's metro lines, and nearly 45 per cent of health workers stayed at home.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments