A strike called by Portugal’s two main trade unions is expected to cause severe flight and rail disruptions, shut many government services and force the cancellation of medical appointments and classes on Thursday.

The two unions representing close to a million Portuguese workers say it could be the country’s biggest walkout in more than 10 years, as they contest the centre-right government’s planned changes to employment laws.

The proposed changes include making it easier for companies to fire workers, denying the right to strike in additional sectors of the economy, and limiting breastfeeding breaks for mothers to the first two years of a baby’s life from the current open-ended dispensation.

The unions say the changes strip workers of entitlements, while the government says they are n

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