Avoila said, trade unions agreed to call a strike to protest against the government’s lack of proposals to raise salaries in the public sector.
She told journalists at the end of the session that strikes were always a “last resort” and said she hoped the government would “take note” of that.
At the end of the plenary session, leaders and activists paraded up to the ministry of finance.
At the centre of the protests is a government proposal to raise salaries for the public service from €580 in 2018 to €635.07 in 2019.
The salary increase in 2019 is expected to cover around 70,000 civil servants and could cost €50 million, according to the government.
While employers’ associations accept the agreement to raise the national minimum wage next year to €600, trade unions demand a bigger increase.
Portugal has seen strong recovery since the 2011-2014 financial crisis and the ruling minority Socialist government has been rolling back austerity over the past three years, with the economy supported by foreign investment, tourism and rising exports.