Portugal: Second 24 hour general strike

A 24-hour general strike called by the CGTP trade union federation on 10 December has been called to stop the most vicious attack on workers, and labour and union rights since the Portuguese Revolution in the middle 1970’s.

The government’s so-called Labour Code is so boss-friendly that even the Oporto Catholic bishop made a statement supporting the workers’ struggle against this ’iniquitous’ law.

The other trade union confederation, the UGT, decided not to call its own members out on strike tomorrow because there are still some negotiations taking place, they said. But, in fact, Duro Barroso, the Prime Minister said clearly that the government "will not step back".

We shall see. At the time of writing the strike preparations are building, with hundreds of local workers meetings in workplaces, and thousands of workers are organised in pickets, something that is not a Portuguese workers’ tradition. The scope and scale of the capitalist attack on the workers’ movement has made these preparations a necessity. The bosses and employers are more and more breaking the laws in relation to workers’ rights, including striking rights. So the strike pickets are instrumental to reinforce the strike.

A group of university students in Lisbon have called a college strike in solidarity with workers. Some of them will be on picket lines on the night of 9 December.

Further reports will be sent during the strike.

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