Criticism arose at the second edition of the annual labor conference, organized by the digital newspaper Eco, held today in Lisbon. This event preceded by two days the second anniversary of the labor law changes introduced by the Dignified Work Agenda.
The president of the Confederation of Portuguese Business (CIP), Armindo Monteiro, described the modification of the Labor Code as a “missed opportunity” where “marketing [in reference to the Agenda’s name] was used instead of constructing solutions,” and consequently, “creating problems where none existed.”
Similarly, the president of the Confederation of Commerce and Services of Portugal (CCP), João Vieira Lopes, criticized the labor changes promoted by the previous Minister of Labor from the last PS government, Ana Mendes Godinho. He argued that the changes “did not bring any added value” and “introduced some complexities.”
As examples, he cited points that raised doubts about their constitutionality, such as the restriction preventing a company from resorting to outsourcing in the year following a collective dismissal.
For different reasons, Tiago Oliveira, the general secretary of the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP), called the Dignified Work Agenda “insufficient.” While acknowledging that some measures had allowed for certain advancements, he stated that, in general, the agenda “fell short” of the objectives advocated by the union federation.
During the conference, the latest tripartite agreement, to which CGTP did not subscribe, was frequently discussed. Oliveira reminded attendees that the union federation has signed seven Social Concertation Agreements to date, and its decision not to endorse several of them (especially the most recent ones) was not due to a desire to remain isolated, but because these documents did not enhance workers’ conditions relative to the existing reality.
Nuno Ferreira Morgado of PLMJ, another speaker on the panel titled “Labor Law on the Path to New Changes?”, deemed the Dignified Work Agenda a “failure” and pointed out the lack of clarity in some provisions, such as the presumption of employment status for platform workers. This lack of clarity often leads to court cases with uncertain outcomes due to the way the law is drafted.
“We are witnessing today an atrocious lack of quality” in the drafting of the Agenda and other parallel labor legislative measures, he stated.
