General strike – the country is working

The Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro claimed at the end of the Council of Ministers meeting today that "a vast majority (of the population) is working". "We are also working", he added, noting that despite the general strike, the country maintained normality today.

Before the Prime Minister’s speech, the Minister of the Presidency gave a statement where he reaffirmed the Government’s respect for the right to strike, stressing that "the vast majority of the Portuguese people are working".

"The Government fully respects every worker’s right to strike", the Minister stated, noting that the Government has shown its "willingness to listen, negotiate, and find balanced solutions".

The Minister Leitão Amaro added that "we must look at the country’s reality with rigour and a sense of proportion. The information available shows that the vast majority of the Portuguese people are working today."

"Although we acknowledge that some sectors have a greater impact (…), the full support to the strike is low and is concentrated mostly in civil service segments", the Minister highlighted.

In the private and social sectors, support to the strike is at around 0% to 10%. The economic and social activity remained stable: "Transactions in the banking sector were down 7% compared to a normal day and traffic on the bridges linking the south to Lisbon fell 5%." The Minister said many workers worked from home, ensuring continuity of service. "The country chose and the majority of the Portuguese kept their normal activity today", he concluded.