Strike brings Portugal to standstill

Hundreds of thousands of Portuguese workers have heeded a second general strike call, bringing parts of the country's public services to a standstill.

Many hospitals were forced to cancel routine treatment, schools were closed and rubbish was left uncollected.

The entire rail network ground to a halt, and severe traffic jams built up as motorists tried to beat the strike. Air travel was also hit.

The BBC's Alison Roberts in Lisbon says the strike has been having a massive impact on the capital, with all rail services cancelled and many buses not running.

The feedback so far shows a massive turnout, in some cases exceeding our expectations

Jose Cartaxo
Union spokesman

The impact on some other towns and cities has reportedly been less severe.

The workers, members of the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP), are protesting against planned changes in the law which would make it easier to hire and fire workers and introduce other changes to their working lives.

The right-of-centre government says the reforms are needed to boost competitiveness, but union leaders say they would turn the clock back to before the 1974 revolution.

An initial strike - the first general stoppage in 10 years - was held in November.

As the second strike began to bite on Tuesday morning, courts were among the public institutions forced to close their doors.

The national airline, TAP, was planning only one service to each of its European destinations.

Private sector industrial enterprises, including Portugal's largest factory, the Volkswagen subsidiary Autoeuropa, were also badly affected. A union spokesman said 88% of the workers had stayed away from the factory at Palmela, south of Lisbon.

PM Barroso says the labour reforms are vital

Textile and footwear industries were also expected to be hit, along with newspapers and broadcasters.

"The feedback so far shows a massive turnout, in some cases exceeding our expectations," said union spokesman Jose Cartaxo.

The CGTP has nearly 900,000 members, and the union said 80% to 100% appeared to have heeded the strike call.

The government's plans for revised labour laws would allow for more flexible working hours, short-term contracts, and changing people's job descriptions part-way through a contract.

There would also be more flexibility in the reasons for sacking workers.

The government, which is trying to tighten controls on the country's struggling economy, says the law must change if Portugal is to compete in the global market.

The 24-hour strike, the second of its kind, began at midnight.

Portugal's other main union, the mainly white-collar General Union of Workers (UGT), has not joined the strike, although some of its members are thought to have stayed away from work.