INSIDE ALGARVE

Watch out for wobbly Wednesday

The nationwide general strike planned for Wednesday in protest against the Government's austerity measures is expected to cause a fair amount of chaos across the country. Among other things, Faro airport is likely to be brought to a standstill.

The strike has been called by the country's leading trade unions and could bring out tens if not hundreds of thousands of disgruntled employees.

A Faro airport spokesperson told me she would be unable to comment until tomorrow. Others seem to have a pretty good idea of what we can expect: total paralysis.

The announced intention of air traffic controllers to join the strike has forced the cancellation of many if not all of Wednesday's flights in and out of Faro.

Ryanair have cancelled 14 flights between Faro and Gatwick, Stansted, Liverpool, Dublin, Cork, Glasgow Prestwick, Frankfurt Hahn and Oporto.

Easyjet say they anticipate “some significant disruption” on flights to and from Portugal. “While the circumstances are outside of our control and are affecting all airlines, we do apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused and reassure you that we are doing everything possible to minimise the disruption,” say Easyjet.

If you booked through easyJet.com you will be able to rebook your flight free of charge. Normally this online service only takes a few minutes, but at very busy times it can take up to three hours.

Lisbon and Oporto are sure to be be affected too. Portugal's national airline, TAP, have advised passengers with reservations on any of their flights on Wednesday to re-book. British Airways of couse are all too familiar with cancelled flights.

The strike is likely to be felt right across the whole spectrum of public services.

What are the ethics of all this disruption and what is it likely to achieve? Your comments are welcome.