Lisbon subway hit by 24-hour strike

The Lisbon subway closed on Thursday for the second time this month as striking workers protest against the sale of the company and the deterioration of working conditions and services.

Portuguese commuters faced delays to get to work this morning as they queued for overcrowded buses.

Nurses have also walked off the job, starting a 48-hour strike on Wednesday which they say is due to poor working conditions and pay and a shortage of nurses. The Portuguese Nurses Union said over 80 percent of members joined the strike, with most hospital operations cancelled, according to local media reports.

The Portuguese center-right government has received backlash from trade unions due to harsh austerity imposed under a 78-bln-euro bailout it signed in 2011 with the Troika comprising the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.

The government also agreed to selling a list of state companies as part of that program.

Public transportation has been hit by several anti-austerity strikes before due to cuts in over pay and plans to privatize transport companies, with trade unions saying the privatization of Lisbon's subway could cause more workers to be laid off.

Nurses have also held a series of strikes, with the Syndicate of Portuguese Nurses calling for at least 25,000 more nurses to be hired.

Despite widespread social discontent, Portugal insists austerity is vital in order to reduce its government deficit, despite having officially ended its bailout program with a clean exit in May. Enditem