Lisbon, June 11, 2026 (Lusa) - Economic activity in Portugal recorded a 5.1% decline on 3 June, the day of the general strike, marking the sharpest contraction on a working day since the general strike in December, according to data published by the Bank of Portugal on Thursday.

In a note accompanying the Daily Economic Activity Indicator (DEI), the Bank of Portugal (BdP) said that in the week ending 7 June, the year-on-year rate of change in activity remained below that observed the previous week, which was marked by the general strike.

In particular, on 3 June, when the general strike called by the CGTP trade union confederation against the labour reform proposed by the government and supported by the governing PSD and CDS-PP took place, this indicator contracted by 5.1%.

This indicator aggregates high-frequency data on economic activity in Portugal, including heavy goods vehicle traffic on motorways, electricity and natural gas consumption, cargo and mail unloaded at national airports, and card purchases made in Portugal by residents and non-residents.

This represents the sharpest daily decline recorded on a working day since the general strike of 11 December, when a contraction of 6.3% was recorded. The December strike was called by Portugal’s two main trade union confederations, the CGTP and the UGT.

Before these two reductions, the largest contraction had been recorded on 28 April 2025, when a widespread power cut left mainland Portugal, Spain, Andorra, and parts of France virtually without electricity.

On that occasion, the contraction recorded for this indicator was 14.5%.

JO/ADB // ADB.

Lusa