The biggest strike the country has ever seen.* lat's how Portugal's main trade union conderation, the CGTP, described the general rike called on 12 February to bring down the jht-wing is governed Portugal since 1978.
One and a half million workers, ortugal's working population, had paralysed e country's transport and most of its inistry.
The following week Lisbon's tube workers on a big increase after a further three-day oppage. ere idle, the railworkers were continuing lective action and pressure was mounting r a further 3-day general strike.
The government could nothing better an to react win tran eons and hysterical B8CES 290l armed bversion.
an impressive demonstration of ength by working iss, clouded only by the ntinued division beten the Communist Par(PC) and the Socialist irty (PS). and their rallel union confederaMario Soares and his llow leaders of the PS id the UGT actively opised the general strike as adventure by the Comunists. They prefer to incentrate on parliamenry negotiations leading. a revision of the existing institution, to a coalition ivernment the 30a cemoca the present government Mario ›ares as president! (What Dennis Healey and e SDP?) But many rankid-file Socialist Party pporters in the trade tions refused to cross eir fellow workers eket lines.
Nor are the Comunist Party and CGTP aders blameless. essure they have certaintaken a much more milint But their ilitancy came late in the ly. and they have conDemocratic Alliance (AD) which over half Three weeks later Portugal's ports sistently taken a violently sectarian attitude which united action with even sympathetic socialist supporters impossible.
The OT CSSUIC for general strike came out of the growing militancy of Portuguese workers their resistance to the biggest attack on their rights and conditions since the OVEr OW Gases 1974. This problem for the Portuguese ruling class is a combination of three basic tactors: ICCESSIOT. the loss of privileged access to the markets of its old empire, and a working class which is still strongly organised despite the disappointments of the revolutionary period in the mid-seventies. Reforms Their solution is to cut costs, attract new productive investments. especially from the richer perialist countries, and sell cheaply-produced consumer goods like shoes and clothing to the big markets of Europe, preerably by joining the In other words the amm is to turn Portugal into a Hong SUEL within Europe itself.
The key would be breaking the working class. Already Portuguese wants are the lowest in Europe, and they MAVE OCCUSE ONCE Unempioyment is nearly 10%. and with inflation running at nearly 25% the AD government introduc ed a ceiling of 17% on ........ Communist Party leader Cunhal (far left) applauded by Mario Soares (far right) in happier days.
Al the same time. a package of tight restrictions on trade union rights PHEW going through SCLICHCHE tailing workers rights to strike. to job security, and negotiate collective agreements.
The last year has seen a Crease 3181 dustrial action, with important strikes by tobacco workers, dockers and transport workers. all breaking the government's pay limits. In January of this year alone 900,000 workers, or one third of the total workforce, came out on strike.
The real problem fo this working-class move clear alternatives being of fered by the leaderships of the PC and the PS and their trade Because of the lack of any real willingness on the part -ine majority of the CGTP leadership to carry through the fight at each stage. the class struggle begun to gain ground.
Though still paratively weak, this minority brings -10• gether the two most imrevolutionary organisations the exmaoist UDP and the smaller PSR (Portuguese section of the Fourth Inas well as a large number of inUCOCUCH It has won the leadership of some 20 district unions. Supporters of the PSR, for example, recently won elections in the shoeworkers" union of the industrial Aveiros district 00 voles fortee pain ith 1900 vote This minority was able a vita part pressurising the CGTP leadership February's general strike and is arguing momentum to be carried through into further, more prolonged general strike If the fight to bring down the AD government and force an early general election is successful, this minoritv current will have an even greater responsibility.
On their success in winning wider support for their policies, and in linking up with workers at the base of the Socialist unions of the UGT, will depend Portuguese workers' ability to force parties, the PC and he PS, to abandon thei their responsibilities, and form a joint government on an independent class platform.
Socialist Challenge 11 March 1982