The stance was communicated by the general secretary of the trade union center, Tiago Oliveira, during a press conference following the National Council Executive Commission meeting in Lisbon, where an assessment was made of the political and union situation and the Government’s labor measures.
“The Government is orchestrating a comprehensive assault […], this is not just about a single harmful measure. It is a plan to reduce the purchasing power of wages, create more precarious work conditions, deregulate working hours, and further degrade the working and living conditions in our country,” stated the leader.
The CGTP particularly criticizes the intention of Luís Montenegro’s Government to “revisit labor legislation,” specifically the strike law, to establish what it called “proportional minimum services.”
“Using the old, tiresome, and fallacious argument of ‘labor legislation rigidity,’ the Government is executing an assault on labor rights with a new package of aggression against workers’ rights,” Tiago Oliveira said.
For the trade union center, this is a political movement with clear objectives: “What the Government wants is for strikes not to have the necessary impact and dimension to defeat the policies in place. We will not allow this at any moment,” he assured.
When questioned on whether the CGTP admits to calling a general strike, Tiago Oliveira responded directly, “The CGTP does not dismiss, from the first moment, any form of intervention and struggle that safeguards workers’ interests. We will not allow the Government to limit the right to strike at any time,” he warned.
The CGTP also rejects the idea of negotiating “red lines” with the Government, as they have served for setbacks to be accepted later.
“What we have seen, unfortunately, is that red lines then shift to other levels and seem to be left behind. What we are saying is simple: any rollback in workers’ rights will receive a determined response from our side,” he reinforced.
The trade union center will now initiate a process of mobilization and debate within union structures and workplaces. “We will encourage a significant discussion within the unions, among workers, to prepare the necessary response,” explained the general secretary.
“We are facing an offensive that affects all workers, whether in the private or public sector, of any nationality, and requires a strong unity of response,” he reiterated.
Tiago Oliveira also pointed out that besides the legislative offensive, the Government continues to provide no answers to families’ concrete difficulties. “We are in a country where wages are low, precariousness spreads, and the cost of living rises every month. Pensions are increasingly reduced. And what is proposed is more deregulation, stripping rights, and imposing more sacrifices,” he criticized.
The CGTP leader also recalled the struggle for the closure of shops on Sundays and holidays, pointing it out as an example of demands ignored by right-wing parties.
Emphasizing that the right to rest and family interaction is also a labor right, Tiago Oliveira defended the need to denounce the positions of those who consider it normal for commerce to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, referencing statements from Chega representatives.
“There is an ongoing attack on labor rights. And what we affirm with complete clarity is that we will not allow the Government to carry its policies through,” he concluded.
[News updated at 19:14]
