A national strike against austerity measures by Portuguese labor unions on Thursday shut down many public services, including many transportation options, but the government showed no signs of backing down from the pay cuts, tax increases and layoffs it insists will help restore the country’s financial health. The protest went to the heart of the current debate in Europe over whether to halt debt-reducing austerity policies and adopt more growth measures. The General Confederation of Portuguese Workers and the General Workers’ Union, which together represent about one million workers, say they want the center-right coalition government to ease off its spending cuts and take more steps to create jobs. But the government said it would not budge from an austerity strategy that it insists will pay off in the long term.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 04:58:23 +0000
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