Volkswagen’s plant was affected as Portugal’s biggest unions went on their first joint general strike since 1988 on Wednesday, hoping to weaken the Socialist government’s resolve on implementing austerity measures meant to tackle a debt crisis.
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As the strike kicked off, Portugal’s largest exporter, VW’s Autoeuropa plant, halted production altogether. The plant produces up to 500 cars on an average day.
“The production line is completely shut, so we expect that no cars will be produced today,” said Autoeuropa union coordinator Calros Chora, adding that only a small part of the plant dealing with repairs would be open.
“There is a picket line outside, but they are letting people in and out,” he said.
The country’s two biggest unions also stopped trains and buses, grounded planes and halted services from healthcare to banking in protest against wage cuts and rising unemployment in western Europe’s poorest country.
Prime Minister Jose Socrates, whose government is struggling to quash speculation that Portugal will be the next in Europe to need a bailout after Ireland and Greece, has pledged to stay the course on wage cuts and tax hikes to cut the budget deficit.
