⁍ Thousands of workers gathered in cities and towns across Portugal on Saturday demanding higher wages and more government action to protect jobs threatened by the coronavirus pandemic.
During the peaceful protests, workers wearing masks and keeping a safe distance urged the country’s Socialist government to raise the national minimum wage to 850 euros from the current 635 euros, the lowest in western Europe.
Unemployment in Portugal rose above 400,000 in August, according to the latest data, and is up more than a third on the same period last year

– Thousands of workers in Portugal took to the streets today in a series of protests demanding higher wages and better protection from the H1N1 virus, the AP reports. According to Reuters, the country has seen more than 400,000 people register as unemployed this year, up more than a third from last year. The H1N1 outbreak has hit hard in Portugal, a country that relies heavily on tourism, with the number of people registered as unemployed in the southern Algarve region up 177% in August compared to a year ago. “Why is there so much money to support (companies) with investments and moratoriums and then there is no political courage to stop the workers from being fired?” a visibly angry protestor said. Portugal’s Socialist government has taken several measures to help businesses affected by the outbreak, including state-backed loans and delaying some tax payments. But protesters say the measures aren’t enough. “Our government mostly supports companies and forgets about the workers,” one protestor said. “More support is needed.”