General strike news in Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal

Latest news and stories about general strike in Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.

Featured stories

General strike causes widespread transport and school disruptions

📍 Lisbon 💼 Work 🚇 Infrastructure#general-strike+3 more

A general strike across Portugal on Wednesday led to significant national disruptions, including the cancellation of nearly 45% of scheduled flights. The industrial action also forced the closure of schools and delayed municipal meetings, with the airport management company ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal reporting that many cancellations were processed in advance to mitigate terminal congestion.

Update: Strike impact on air travel

Official data from ANA confirms that 658 out of 1,472 scheduled flights were cancelled due to the strike, representing a 44.7% reduction in total air traffic.

2 sources →3 Jun

Teachers schedule May protest and threaten third-term strikes

📍 Lisbon 💼 Work 🏛️ Government#labour-law+2 more

The National Federation of Teachers (Federação Nacional dos Professores or Fenprof) has announced a national demonstration for May 16 to protest the government's revision of the teaching career statute (Estatuto da Carreira Docente). The union also warned of potential strikes during the upcoming third school term if negotiations regarding working hours and job security do not improve. Parents and students should note that Fenprof will also join a general protest organized by the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses or CGTP) in April.

Fenprof is the National Federation of Teachers (Federação Nacional dos Professores), the main public‑school teachers' union in Portugal that represents teachers in pay, working conditions and education reforms. Its criticism matters because Fenprof can organize strikes and mobilise teachers, which directly affects school operations and the implementation of government changes — something families and expat educators should monitor.

CGTP (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses – Intersindical Nacional) regularly publishes studies and proposals on labor market conditions, wages, working time, and employment rights. These reports are used to support the union confederation's negotiating positions with the government and employers.

CGTP studies typically cover topics such as minimum wage adequacy, working hours reform, collective bargaining trends, social security sustainability, and the impact of proposed labor law changes on workers. The confederation uses this research to advocate for positions in tripartite social dialogue (Concertação Social) alongside the UGT union confederation and employer groups.

These publications are significant because they often shape public debate ahead of labor reforms and can influence the pace and direction of legislative changes.

4 sources →21 Mar

Teachers schedule May protest and threaten third-term strikes

Recent articles

Union says Lisbon Firefighters Regiment faces 'utter disarray'

💼 Work 🏖️ Daily Life ⚖️ Legal#general-strike+3 more

Lisbon firefighters' union says the Regimento de Sapadores Bombeiros de Lisboa (RSBL) is in 'utter disarray', citing delays in promotions, organisational failures and that more than 10% of operational personnel lack proper uniforms. Staff are considering issuing a pre-strike notice as a warning that industrial action could follow if complaints over safety, logistics and career progression are not resolved. The union warns these problems undermine emergency response and public safety and is calling for urgent management and municipal intervention.

Correio da Manhã26 Jan

Union says Lisbon Firefighters Regiment faces 'utter disarray'

Protest after general strike. All detainees released

⚖️ Legal 🏛️ Government#general-strike+3 more

All six protesters arrested near parliament on Wednesday, following the CGTP demonstration on the day of the general strike, were released with an identity and residence requirement.

rtp.pt5 Jun

Protest after general strike. All detainees released

CGTP blames "infiltrated groups" for the disturbances

🏛️ Government ⚖️ Legal#general-strike+2 more

Tiago Oliveira argued that the clashes with the PSP near Parliament diverted focus from the general strike's demands. He also guaranteed that no member of the union was involved in the clashes with the PSP.

observador.pt4 Jun

CGTP blames "infiltrated groups" for the disturbances

Union says Lisbon Firefighters Regiment faces 'utter disarray'

💼 Work 🏖️ Daily Life ⚖️ Legal#general-strike+3 more

Correio da Manhã26 Jan

Protest after general strike. All detainees released

⚖️ Legal 🏛️ Government#general-strike+3 more

All six protesters arrested near parliament on Wednesday, following the CGTP demonstration on the day of the general strike, were released with an identity and residence requirement.

rtp.pt5 Jun

CGTP blames "infiltrated groups" for the disturbances

🏛️ Government ⚖️ Legal#general-strike+2 more

observador.pt4 Jun

Government meets today with employers and UGT to discuss changes to labour law

💼 Work 🏛️ Government#general-strike+3 more

The Minister of Labour will meet on Monday, 23rd, with UGT and four employer confederations to discuss changes to the labour law, in a meeting without the participation of CGTP. The meeting is scheduled for 9:30 AM at the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security (MTSSS) in Lisbon. This gathering aims to assess the technical meetings that have taken place between the government, employer confederations, and UGT regarding the labour law changes being discussed in the Social Concertation framework, where CGTP is also represented. Last week, the Minister had called UGT and employer confederations for a meeting, but it was held without union representatives as CGTP was not invited and UGT announced it would not participate, deeming the meeting 'untimely'. An official source from the ministry indicated that 'UGT was invited and did not show availability at any time this week', but the government remains open to discussions with the union. In UGT's absence, employer confederations expressed their 'interest' in reaching an agreement on the labour law, stating that without the union's presence, 'in practice, there was no meeting' and they are willing to negotiate with the union starting this week. This was noted by Francisco Calheiros, president of the Tourism Confederation of Portugal (CTP), who spoke on behalf of the other three employer confederations. When asked about CGTP's absence, Calheiros declined to comment. The Secretary-General of CGTP accused the government of trying to exclude the inter-union from discussions on labour law changes and using methods of discussion 'completely outside' the usual negotiation processes. The draft reform, called 'Trabalho XXI', was presented by the government of Luís Montenegro (PSD and CDS-PP) on July 24, 2025, and the Minister has indicated the intention to submit the bill to parliament, although no date has been committed to. The changes proposed by the government in July were rejected by the unions, who view the changes as an attack on workers' rights. The opposition led CGTP and UGT to jointly call for a general strike on December 11, 2025. Employer confederations welcomed the reform but stated there is room for improvement. In response to criticisms from CGTP and UGT, the government presented a new proposal to UGT with some concessions but reiterated that it is not willing to withdraw the entire initiative or abandon the core elements of the announced changes. UGT submitted a counterproposal to the government on February 4 and indicated it has red lines on issues such as fixed-term contracts and outsourcing, which it considers 'unacceptable'.

Diário de Notícias23 Feb