LISBON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Portuguese workers marched in Lisbon on Friday against the policies of the Socialist government, which unions say are increasing unemployment and favouring the rich at a time of crisis.
The peaceful rally, organised by the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP) -- the country's biggest union, with strong links to the Communist Party -- crammed the city's main thoroughfare, the busy Liberdade Avenue.
Witnesses said the rally appeared bigger than a November march by teachers which brought together some 100,000 protesters. Organisers said as many as 200,000 people took part, but police could not confirm the estimates.
"The government promised to create jobs and what we got is more unemployment and impoverishment," CGTP leader Manuel Carvalho da Silva told demonstrators.
Some banners called the policies of Prime Minister Jose Socrates "arrogant, immoral and repressive" and others called for an end to his Socialist party's majority in parliament.
"It's a huge manifestation of indignation because we have made sacrifices for the development of our country, without seeing results," Carvalho da Silva said, adding that real incomes were falling.
Workers from both the public and private sectors were bussed to Lisbon from across the country.
Portugal entered recession in the fourth quarter of 2008, with the economy shrinking 1.6 percent from the previous three months. Unemployment in the fourth quarter stood at 7.8 percent, up slightly from 7.7 percent in the previous quarter.
(Reporting by Miguel Pereira, Andrei Khalip and Shrikesh Laxmidas; editing by Andrew Roche)
