"It will be a big strike and will force the government, if it has good sense, to realise that it is buying social conflict and that it will not stop because workers demand different policies," said Common Front coordinator Sebastião Santana at a press conference in Lisbon.

The union leader predicted the closure of many schools, disruptions in health and justice services, as well as strong participation by workers in local authorities, central public administration services, and in cultural and monument work.

When asked if he truly believes the government will reverse its policies, Santana stated that he does not expect "the government to give in without a fight," but that it was "always the workers' struggle that brought down governments and guaranteed the valorisation of labour in previous years."

For the union leader, workers cannot accept a State Budget that degrades working conditions and disinvests in public services.

Sebastião Santana said that the increase in the health budget in 2026 is even below inflation, and that, of the total €17 billion, more than half is channelled to the private sector (for exams, surgeries, medications, etc., financed by the State).

"There are 760,000 people [who are] public administration workers, who carry a significant influence in Portuguese society. If the Government fails to take this into account, it is a very serious short-sightedness," he said.

When asked if there would be room in the State Budget to accommodate the 15% wage increase demanded by the Common Front (at least 150 euros), given the slight surplus of 0.1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) projected for 2026, the union leader responded affirmatively, as long as political priorities were changed.

"There is plenty of room. If the State Budget proposal doesn't include 1.7 billion euro tax breaks for companies, if it doesn't include a 300 million euro corporate income tax cut (...). It's not a matter of lack of money, it's a matter of political choice," he stated.

Sebastião Santana also mentioned that the budget proposal includes a 14% increase in defense spending and that a 50 million euro investment in the acquisition of American weapons to be delivered to Ukraine was recently announced.

"It makes us believe that Portugal today has more security problems than health problems, which is not true," he emphasised.

When asked if the strike could bring any change to the budget approval in parliament, given that the Socialist Party (PS) has already announced a "demanding abstention," Sebastião Santana said that the PS "still has time to change its mind" and that the political process is not just about parliament and is conditioned by social struggle.

Regarding the minimum services in this strike, the Common Front leaders explained that the strike notices defined, as usual, the minimum services, and that in healthcare, for example, these include emergencies, scheduled surgeries considered urgent, treatments such as fertility treatments, home hospitalizations, etc.

So far, around 20 entities (mostly in the healthcare sector) have challenged the defined minimum services, with the decision being made by the arbitration tribunal.

"It's a shame that the government doesn't always consider essential social needs, only on strike days," stated Sebastião Santana, adding that basic health services often require more workers than on a normal workday.

“Shameful”

Also at the press conference, the Common Front called the labour reform package "shameful" and that the state reform is a "demolition of public services," starting with the creation of the Education System Management Agency, which it considered would have a business-like logic and would be the first phase of the deconstruction of the public education system.

The government submitted the 2026 State Budget proposal to the National Assembly on October 9th, maintaining the initial proposal for salary increases for public servants provided for in the multi-year agreement signed in November 2024 with Fesap and the Trade Union Front.

The Common Front represents 29 unions from all sectors of public administration.