At 5:00 a.m., under a sky still cloaked in darkness, José Luís Carneiro arrived at the Portela de Sintra station. Among those awaiting him was Ana Mendes Godinho, the former labor minister leading the PS/PAN coalition list for the Sintra municipal elections, alongside former minister and ex-mayor of Lisbon, João Soares.
The train’s destination, marking the second official campaign day for the PS delegation, was Rossio in Lisbon. The PS leader outlined the aim of this event, which saw the participation of other PS municipal candidates in Greater Lisbon: Ana Sofia Antunes (Oeiras), Vitor Ferreira (Amadora), and Alexandra Leitão (Lisbon).
“This journey I’m making along the Sintra line is to discuss the agenda for dignified work,” he told journalists aboard, after chatting with some of the passengers in a train that still had available seats at that hour.
The PS secretary-general pointed out that “over 130,000 people use this line daily,” including “thousands of cleaning workers ensuring a functional society.”
“And the Government is trying to regress on the agenda for dignified work, pushing thousands into informality, denying them protection and dignity,” he accused.
Carneiro asserted that Portugal, “as a decent country and society,” has the duty to “raise and place these issues on the media agenda because they concern people’s lives.”
Upon the train’s arrival at Rossio after approximately 40 minutes, where Alexandra Leitão welcomed the delegation, the PS leader handed the floor to all the socialist candidates before addressing the journalists again.
“We are all here for a more dignified and decent society. There are those who wish to regress to increasing the vulnerability of individuals with already difficult lives,” he stressed.
Carneiro emphasized his intention to give voice to these individuals and listen, allowing them to “express their daily challenges.”
“It is unacceptable to roll back labor rights,” he condemned.
