Several thousands of people have walked towards the Portuguese parliament in Lisbon to protest against a labour law reform put forward by the government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.

The protest happened on the day of a 24 hour general strike that caused major disruption in most public services and parts of the private sector, including transports, hospitals and schools.

The strike called by Portugal’s two main trade union confederations brought severe travel disruption Thursday and forced the cancellation of many medical appointments and school classes. Government and municipal services, including trash collection, were also badly hit.

The two labour groups 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 center-right government’s planned changes to employment laws.

The unions say the changes strip workers of entitlements, while the government argues they are needed to make the economy more supple and spur growth.

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.

AP Video by Helena Alves