Just as the favourite for the post of Portugal’s next president says he will not be approving the government’s proposed revision of labour legislation ‘unless there is agreement with social partners’, Portuguese trade union confederation, CGTP, has called for a national demonstration on February 28, in Lisbon and Porto.
Said CGTP leader Tiago Oliveira at a press conference: “On February 28, we will hold a large decentralised national demonstration in Lisbon and Porto to continue the fight against this labour package.”
Strike notices will be issued to allow workers who are working on the day to attend, he added.
Recalling the general strike on December 11, and other actions already taken, Tiago Oliveira said that the trade union will do “everything” to “combat the government’s intention” to make changes to labour legislation – repeating the contention that his confederation sees the changes as “a profound assault on workers’ rights“.
The CGTP’s National Council has also decided to “carry out a general mobilisation action, for higher wages and rights for a dignified life, against the increase in the cost of living and for the withdrawal of the labour package”, which will begin on February 9 – and aims to hold plenary sessions, street actions, rallies, demonstrations and [sectoral] actions” that will lead to the preparation and “mobilisation of workers” for the national demonstration at the end of the month.
Oliveira accuses the government of not wanting to seek “any kind of consensus” and of “exacerbating the difficulties” of workers. “We do not have a government that wants to discuss. We do not have a government that wants to be open to any kind of negotiation,” he said, suggesting the government led by Luís Montenegro “has a political agenda” that aims to “assault workers’ rights”.
Source: LUSA
