“Striking is a legitimate right. My concern is with the climate, and I would like to challenge everyone to focus on green lines instead of red lines,” stated Álvaro Mendonça e Moura, president of CAP.
The confederation expressed a keen interest in reaching a consensus among social partners on labor reform, although it noted that “unfortunately, CGTP will never sign” an agreement.
The former ambassador highlighted that among the 100 measures presented by the government, not all can be negative.
He emphasized that social partners should focus on the 60 or 70 measures where there is agreement.
“Each side stating they won’t accept and marking red lines leads nowhere. Let’s try to find common ground. We cannot miss the opportunity to advance the country, which needs changes in labor laws, but everyone needs to be flexible,” he pointed out.
CAP pledged to “fight until the end” to reach an agreement, stressing that it is part of its responsibility to society and that accelerating the country’s growth is essential.
Mendonça e Moura assured he is not worried about the strike, which is heavily focused on the public sector, as it does not seem to pose a significant difference to the country’s economic development.
“There will be a big difference between having or not having a social consensus,” he said.
CAP and other social partners have been discussing their proposals with the Minister of Labor, Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho.
The farmers are scheduled to meet again with Palma Ramalho “early next week,” but refrained from divulging the proposals currently on the table.
CGTP and UGT announced a general strike for December 11 against the government’s proposal. This will be the first joint stoppage since June 2013, when Portugal was under the ‘troika’ intervention.
In an interview with Antena 1 and Jornal de Negócios, the UGT’s secretary-general explained that the union proceeded with the strike after being cornered by the government, which advised a reflection, and admitted moving towards “two days of strike” should the executive present the same proposal.
However, CGTP stated today that it does not commit to extending the general strike to two days.
“What we have to commit to is building a significant general strike for December 11,” CGTP’s secretary-general Tiago Oliveira said to reporters when asked if CGTP would consider extending the general strike from one to two days, as suggested by UGT’s secretary-general.
Tiago Oliveira also mentioned that CGTP will “always” study and assess new forms of struggle to “defeat the labor package,” but is not committing to possibly extending the general strike.
