“If democracy teaches us anything, it is that majorities and minorities are always very transitory, and it is very important that the government is aware of this,” stated José Luís Carneiro, when asked by journalists to respond to the fact that Chega has challenged the PSD for a joint proposal on labor legislation.
The PS leader spoke during a visit to the Sardine Festival in Portimão, accompanied by the president and candidate for the Portimão City Council, Álvaro Bila, and Socialist deputy Luís Graça, among others.
In a press conference held today, André Ventura stated that he informed the PSD’s parliamentary leader, Hugo Soares, on Tuesday that Chega is prepared to participate in a “joint proposal” so that changes to labor legislation can be approved “without any need for the PS,” at the start of parliamentary work.
When questioned by journalists about Chega’s attempt to exclude the PS from the proposed labor law reform, José Luís Carneiro said that the party does not accept “lessons from anyone,” recalling that their journey on this matter has been “immense.”
“I reaffirm what are the fundamental values of the Socialist Party. For us, the precariousness of labor relations is unacceptable, especially concerning the protection of the rights of female workers, young workers, and, at the same time, we will fight for adequate remuneration […], aiming for Portugal to match the best international practices,” he emphasized.
José Luís Carneiro took the opportunity to say that he considers it “incomprehensible” that a government “that claims to want to attract highly qualified immigration wants, at the same time, to contribute to wage compression,” particularly for the most qualified young people.
“Either we aim to have 21st-century companies that do not bargain over the right to breastfeeding, the right to weekend and night rest, and are willing to provide stability and dignity in the professional activities, or we are talking about an economy that cannot subsist in the future […],” he concluded.
In an interview with TSF and Jornal de Notícias, the Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security stated that there are abuses by some mothers in the use of the right to leave for breastfeeding and found it difficult to understand that children over two years old need to be breastfed during working hours.
The draft reform of labor legislation, which according to the government, foresees the revision of “more than a hundred articles of the Labor Code,” has already been presented to social partners and will be negotiated in the context of Social Concertation.
