Tens of thousands of protesters have marched through Warsaw in the last of four days of Polish protests against proposed labor law changes.
The protesters demanded a higher minimum wage, greater job security and the repeal of a law rai
sing the retirement age to 67.
Many carried banners calling for Prime Minister Donald Tusk to resign.
Tens of thousands of protesters have marched through Warsaw in the last of four days of Polish protests against proposed labor law changes
The ruling centre-right coalition’s popularity has plummeted to its lowest level since Donald Tusk took power in 2007.
The rally was one of the largest in Poland in recent years, bringing together people from both the right and the left of the political spectrum.
Organizers of the march said about 120,000 people participated, while city authorities put the figure at 100,000.
Protesters waved flags and blew whistles as they marched through the streets of the capital.
Some held banners saying “We are Coming to Get You” and “Tusk’s government Must Go”.
“We’re becoming slaves in our own country,” said Marek Duda, the leader of the right-of-centre Solidarity Union.
The rally was not about austerity, Poland being the only country in the European Union to have avoided a recession since the crisis began.
However, the economy is just coming out of its worst slump in years, and the protesters say it still lags behind its neighbors to the west.
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Portugal plans to cut 30,000 civil service jobs and to raise the retirement age by one year to 66 as it tries to meet the terms of a bailout.
PM Pedro Passos Coelho said civil servants would also be required to work 40 hours a week instead of 35.
The proposals, which would be applied mostly from next year, would save 4.8 billion euros over three years, the prime minister said.
Austerity measures have proved deeply unpopular and have triggered large protests.
“With these measures, our European partners cannot doubt our commitment” to the bailout, Pedro Passos Coelho said in an address to the nation late on Friday.
Portugal’s PM Pedro Passos Coelho announced new austerity measures from next year that would save 4.8 billion euros over three years
“To hesitate now would harm the credibility that we have already won back,” he added.
Portugal received a 78 billion euro bailout from the EU, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the IMF in 2011.
Unemployment stands at nearly 18% – a record high – and the economy is expected to shrink for a third consecutive year in 2013.
Last month, the Portuguese Constitutional Court struck down more than 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) of proposed cuts, which included the suspension of holiday bonuses for public sector workers and pensioners.
That forced the centre-right government to look elsewhere for savings – though it has ruled out raising taxes.
“We will not raise taxes to correct the budgetary problem resulting from the Constitutional Court’s decision,” Pedro Passos Coelho said.
“The way must be through the structural reduction of public spending.”
Portugal’s main Socialist opposition party has accused Pedro Passos Coelho of inflicting excessive austerity on Portugal in pursuit of an ideologically driven programme.
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Greek trade unions have begun the first general strike since the country’s conservative-led coalition government came to power in June.
Wednesday’s 24-hour walkout is to protest at new planned spending cuts of more than 11.5 billion euros ($15 billion).
The savings are a pre-condition to Greece receiving its next tranche of bailout funds, without which the country could face bankruptcy in weeks.
Large anti-austerity demonstrations are also planned.
Greek trade unions have begun the first general strike since the country’s conservative-led coalition government came to power in June
Greece needs the next 31 billion-euro installment of its international bailout, but with record unemployment and a third of Greeks pushed below the poverty line, there is strong resistance to further cuts.
The government of conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is also proposing to slash pensions and raise the retirement age to 67.
Workers from a diverse range of sectors are taking part in the strike, from doctors to air traffic controllers.
It was called by the country’s two biggest unions, which between them represent half the workforce.
A survey conducted by the MRB polling agency last week found that more than 90% of Greeks believed the planned cuts were unfair and a burden on the poor.
With demonstrations planned, many people fear a repeat of the violence that has hit the streets in previous protests.
Thousands of police have been deployed in the centre of Athens to prevent a flare-up.
Greece is currently trying to qualify for the next installment of its 130 billion-euro bailout, which is backed by the IMF and the other 16 euro nations.
The country was given a 110 billion-euro package in May 2010 and a further 130 billion euros in October 2011. That money is paid in installments, but correspondents say the donors are reluctant to stump up the latest slice, as they feel Greece has not made enough effort to meet its deficit-reduction targets.
Greece needs the next tranche of its bailout to make repayments on its debt burden. A default could result in the country leaving the euro.
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