Public services across Portugal ground to a halt Thursday as unions staged a 24-hour strike against austerity measures agreed by the government in return for an international bailout. Garbage went uncollected, ports and schools closed, public transport was disrupted and other public services were affected by the country’s second general strike in four months. The metros in Lisbon and Oporto, Portugal’s second-largest city, were closed, forcing tens of thousands of commuters to find an alternative way to get to work or school. The majority of ports, including the port of Lisbon and Viana do Castelo in the north, were closed, according to the country’s biggest union — the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP) — which called the strike. The strike disrupted rail service between Lisbon and Oporto and halted garbage collection in several cities including Lisbon and its suburbs and the southern city of Evora, famous for its Roman ruins, it added. “The participation rate is strong in the public transport sector, among garbage collectors and the health sector,” CGTP secretary general Armenio Carlos told reporters, adding that “dozens” of schools were closed. Some taxis in Lisbon sported black ribbons in solidarity with the strikers. But while public services were widely affected, most banks, restaurants, supermarkets and pharmacies in the Portuguese capital remained open.
