Portuguese tourism and hospitality workers strike for better wages

Employees in Portugal's tourism and hospitality sector have had enough of the current situation in their country. To express their dissatisfaction, they organized a 24-hour nationwide strike. Representatives of this industry are demanding several significant changes.

On Monday, May 27, early morning, the Portuguese initiated a 24-hour nationwide strike. In the evening, they gathered for a demonstration in the center of Lisbon.

Representatives of the tourism and hospitality industry have clearly outlined the changes they expect. The strikers' main demands are an increase in wages to compensate for the rise in inflation and an improvement in working conditions.

Tiago Oliveira, the head of the largest Portuguese trade union center, CGTP, explains that the protest aims to increase the number of employees in cafeterias, restaurants, and collective accommodation facilities.

He added that employers in the tourism and hospitality sector are usually reluctant to increase the number of jobs. Meanwhile, Oliveira noted that this sector urgently needs new employees with its record influx of tourists.

Numerous photos have appeared on social media, showing crowds of Portuguese citizens carrying posters and walking through city streets. Simultaneously, teachers were also on strike in Portugal. "Today we were in front of the Ministry (...). The fight continues!" reads one of the posts published by Sindicato CESP on platform X.

According to estimates by the Tourism Office of Portugal (TP), last year saw a record number of overnight stays in hotel facilities and significant revenue from tourist bookings.