General Strike in Portugal

Carvalho da Silva, leader of the CGTP trade Union, in a picket line;

João Proença, leader of the UGT trade Union,

Buses in the depot, waiting for the drivers;

empty railway stations with no trains, arriving or departing;

while millions of desperate portuguese are struggling to get to work,

facing huge traffic jams on congested roads,

because of the strike in the public transports,

(those that have accumulated millions of euros

in debts in the public deficit),

costing the country billions of euros

for this unnecessary social disruption.

The public servants,

(there are a total of 4.5 million),

who striked have their jobs guaranteed,

have above-average salaries and benefits,

while the private sector workers,

pay,

through their hard-earned taxes.

the salaries of the public sectors workers!!

In the private sector,

there are usually no strikes,

for being on strike could cost a worker his job,

but the public servants show

NO OBLIGATION or SENSE OF DUTY

to help Portugal to overcome

the serious financial crisis

which affects the country.

The most notorious contributors

to the current financial crises in Portugal,

are the ones who can afford the luxury of going on strike,

seeing that in theory their jobs are secured,

their salaries high,

while the state companies, for which they work,

are completely bankrupt.

In the transport section e.g. TAP, Carris, Metro etc,

were on strike with 121 flights cancelled today

hardly any buses or underground

were available for commuters.

Even in the state television station RTP,

(repsonsible for a bigger deficit per year than TAP,

the national airline) ,

thousand of workers were on strike,

disrupting emmision of regular News programmes.

With these irresponsible, unpatriotic attitudes,

Portugal could quickly follow Greece

in a downward spiral to complete despair.

Public sector salaries account for 80% of all public spending in Portugal,

paid for by the hard-working private sectors' taxes.

The time has come to be

more Patriotic and self-sacrificing,

for private and public sectors to be

united in a near impossible mission

to rescue Portugal from utter collapse.

More RESPECT from those who benefit from the hard work

of those whom the strikers try to deny the right to WORK!!

RESPECT for those private sector workers,

who work,

while public sector workers strike,

to pay the strikers and trade Unions salaries!!