Members of the Portuguese Communist Party have marched to protest against austerity measures.

The Lisbon protest was aimed at an agreement signed last year between the government and the so-called Troika, consisting of the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and EU.

In return for a 97 billion US-dollar bailout, the government has cut the benefits of public workers and increased taxes, transportation prices and electricity prices.

The protest comes as representatives of the Troika are in the country for regular checks of whether Portugal is complying with the terms of the bailout agreement. But the majority of Portuguese people do not welcome the deal. They blame the austerity measures for Portugal’s third recession in four years and a record unemployment rate of more than 15 percent.