More strikes on way: “social peace” enjoyed by government ‘at an end’

With yet another week-long public sector strike now underway, SIC Notícias has warned that we can expect ‘more’ down the line as the semblance of social peace, enjoyed by the current AD minority government, has well and truly dissipated.

“Tranquility ended in June, 2025, with the introduction of the Labour Reform Bill,” says the media outlet, stressing that in spite of the two general strikes that have followed, the current prime minister, Luís Montenegro, is still some way ‘ahead’ in terms of labour strife than his predecessor, António Costa (PS Socialist).

“In two years of government, Luís Montenegro has faced 2.5 ‘strike notices’ per day, which is below the 3.6 registered during the absolute majority government of António Costa.

“In total, there have been 1,890 strikes since the social-democrat leader arrived in São Bento, the majority of them in the private sector.”

The public sector strikes, however, are the ones that get the greatest news coverage. The country has just had its second general strike of the last few months; this week we have a week-long strike by IRN Registrars and Notaries offices – and on Sunday, it will be the turn of FENPROF (the national federation of teachers), to protest in front of the Ministry of Education. The theme of the protest is the fact that the school calendar has been ‘stretched by two weeks’ this year, which teachers feel is using them for childcare, rather than for the purposes of education. They have a number of other structural, much ‘longer term’ complaints, as well.

Source: SIC Notícias/ FENPROF

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.