Phoenix 24
A wave of strikes is testing public services and transport across the country.
Lisbon
Portugal is experiencing widespread disruption as separate labor actions affect schools, public administration, municipal services and commercial aviation. More than 350,000 public sector workers are covered by strikes called by three unions affiliated with the CGTP, while easyJet cabin crews have launched a five day stoppage that is already affecting hundreds of flights.
Education has experienced some of the most visible consequences. Dozens of schools remained closed because of staff shortages, with union representatives reporting disruptions from northern Portugal to the Algarve as well as in the Azores and Madeira. Lisbon’s Francisco Arruda school was among the institutions unable to open during the 24 hour public sector strike.
The action involves operational assistants, administrative personnel and technical staff employed across multiple branches of government. Social Security offices, registry and notary services, courts, municipal operations and waste collection may all face reduced capacity. Some local health units and other organizations linked to the Health Ministry could also experience delays.
Workers are demanding immediate improvements in career structures, salaries and professional recognition. Demonstrators gathered in Lisbon for a march between Praça da Figueira and the Ministry of Finance, turning workplace grievances into a broader public sector protest.
Aviation is facing a separate but simultaneous dispute. easyJet cabin crews began a five day strike scheduled to continue through Tuesday. Their union expects approximately 80 percent of flights to be cancelled during the action and says 443 services scheduled through Lisbon, Porto and Faro have already been removed from the timetable.
easyJet presents a different estimate. The airline expects to operate approximately 55 percent of its planned schedule by relying on legally mandated minimum services and flights staffed from other European bases. The union disputes the legality of some of those arrangements, adding another layer of conflict to negotiations.
Cabin crew demands include more predictable schedules, salary progression based on seniority and improved conditions in the company agreement. A second strike has already been scheduled for December 19 through 23, suggesting that the dispute could return during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
The simultaneous protests reveal a broader pressure point inside Portugal’s labor market. Public employees and airline workers are challenging how wages, career progression and working conditions are being managed in sectors where service continuity directly affects millions of people.
When schools close, public offices slow and aircraft remain on the ground, labor disputes stop being internal negotiations. They become a national test of how long essential services can absorb unresolved workplace tensions.
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