Momentum grows for June 3 general strike to stop anti-worker labor law package in Portugal
Porto, Portugal – Business elites and conservative political leaders are powerless to stop the massive working class wave about to hit them as momentum builds toward a nationwide general strike June 3.
Portugal’s largest union federation, the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP), called a general strike to demand that Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and the conservative parties in the Assembly of the Republic abandon the “Labor Package” they are trying to pass that aims to harm the rights and living standards of workers and weaken their unions. This will be the second general strike against the Labor Package; the first took place on December 11, 2025.
Each day brings news of more unions planning to join the general strike as workers in different sectors and workplaces meet and vote to participate. Billboards, posters and graffiti are widely visible on the streets promoting the general strike.
Public transit will largely screech to a halt as unions representing transportation workers have announced they’ll participate in the strike. These include the Federation of Transport and Communications Unions (FECTRANS), the National Union of Railroad Workers (SNTSF), the National Union of Train Drivers (SMAQ), among others.
A spokesperson for the National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Personnel (SNPVAC) told the media that as many as 500 airline flights could be cancelled by the strike, with possible spillover the day before and after, as cabin crew and airport ground workers participate in the strike.
The National Union of Workers in Local and Regional Administration, Public Companies, Concessionaires and Related Entities (STAL), representing local municipal workers, will participate in the general strike, which will impact services like trash collection, libraries and services at municipal government offices.
The National Federation of Doctors (FNAM) and the Portuguese Nurses Union (SEP) have committed to strike nationally, which could bring most non-emergency medical care to a halt. The National Federation of Teachers (FENPROF) is participating in the general strike, so schools are likely to be closed.
Call centers are a huge sector of the economy in Portugal, largely employing young people. The National Union of Telecommunications and Audiovisual Workers (SINTAAV) in that sector is participating in the strike.
Some unions have gone beyond the one-day strike and announced they will be striking for part or all of the week. This includes the Union of Migration Technicians (STM), who will strike all week from June 1-5 to protest understaffing and outsourcing that has placed immense pressures on workers at Portugal’s immigration agency.
Among the many other unions participating in the June 3 general strike are the Commercial, Office and Service Workers' Union of Portugal (CESP), Union of Health, Solidarity and Social Security Workers (STSSSS), Union of Manufacturing Industries, Energy and Environmental Activities (SITE), Union of Workers in the Hotel, Tourism, Restaurant and Similar Industries of the North (Hotelaria Norte), National Union of Professionals in the Clothing and Textile Industry and Trade (SINPICVAT), Union of Performing Arts, Audiovisual and Musician Workers in Portugal (CENA-STE). This is just a sampling of the much longer list.
In addition to unions, many social movement organizations are also mobilizing for the general strike, including organizations such as Vida Justa, Plataforma Ja Marchavas, Revolutionary Antifascist Action Group (GARA), and more.
On June 3, workers won’t just be staying home from work. The CGTP is organizing around 30 mass mobilizations and marches in cities across Portugal.
Portugal’s constitution is among the most progressive in capitalist countries with regard to the right of workers to unionize and strike to improve their conditions. This labor reform package aims to chop away at those constitutional guarantees.
A flyer from CGTP explaining the reasons for the general strike says, “the labor package serves only the interest of capital; it means more exploitation, the concentration of wealth, greater injustice, the erosion of wage, unfair dismissals, the deregulation of working hours, the dismantling of collective bargaining, and restrictions on the right to strike and freedom of association. The PSD/CDS government, supported by Chega and IL, wants to retain everything that is wrong with labor legislation – which is already unfavorable to workers – and make it much worse.”
Instead of this anti-worker labor package, the CGTP proposes to increase workers’ salaries, workers’ rights, and public services.