In the first seven months of 2026, 739 strike pre-notices were submitted in Portugal, representing an increase of almost 65% compared to the same period in 2025, when 449 notices were delivered. The data is from the Directorate-General for Employment and Labour Relations and includes 661 pre-notices outside the State business sector and 78 in the State business sector. This is the second highest value for this period since 2023, a year that recorded 980 pre-notices and was also marked by a labour reform.
The exponential growth is explained by the opposition surrounding the labour reform proposed by the Government of Luís Montenegro. After the general strike of 11 December 2025, called by UGT and CGTP, the trade union centre led by Tiago Oliveira scheduled a new general protest on 3 June against changes to labour law. These changes ultimately were rejected in Parliament, with the Chega party vetoing the labour package.
Of the total pre-notices submitted, 122 resulted in minimum services, with 50 through agreements between the parties, 26 through processes at the Economic and Social Council, and 46 by government decree. In July, the sectors with the most pre-notices were administrative activities and support services, with 28%, manufacturing industries with 13%, and transport and storage with 10%.
The Executive had proposed expanding the sectors covered by minimum services during strikes, arguing that greater flexibility in labour relations was needed to unlock productivity and stimulate wages in Portugal. Although the reform failed to pass, the Government, through the voice of the Minister of Labour Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, has already expressed that it does not intend to abandon the revision of labour law, considering it inevitable.
