The World - News from March 29, 1988

A 24-hour general strike shut factories, airports and banks across Portugal as hundreds of thousands of workers staged the biggest industrial action in the country’s history to protest government labor reforms. Labor federations called the strike a victory for the unions over the center-right government of Prime Minister Anibal Cavaco Silva. But Cavaco Silva said the strike will not cause him to alter a government bill that would make it easier for businesses to fire workers. He said the legislation is crucial to attracting investment and modernizing the economy.