The government’s proposed changes to labor law continue to spark controversy, particularly regarding the restriction of reduced working hours for breastfeeding mothers. The issue garnered attention this weekend following an interview with the Minister of Labor, Solidarity, and Social Security in which Maria do Rosário Palma Carvalho argued that the aim is to combat abuses.
Civil society and political circles have criticized the move, demanding concrete data on the alleged abuses that justify the amendment to breastfeeding leave, which will only be valid until the child turns two.
The Secretary-General of the PS compared the proposed labor legislation change to attempts in the immigration law, harshly criticizing the minister and describing her recent statements as “inhumane.”
José Luís Carneiro noted that the right to breastfeeding is prescribed by a family doctor and argued that if the minister believes it is being used “abusively,” she should “explain how many cases exist in the country and what Social Security is doing to assess how these alleged situations undermine a fundamental right.”
“The inhumanity adopted concerning the immigration law, particularly regarding family regrouping, is also being adopted in labor matters, especially in the protection of women and young people, an inhumanity not seen in our country for a long time,” he asserted.
Socialist MP Tiago Barbosa Ribeiro took to X to criticize the minister’s statements. “Ignorance, prejudice, lack of knowledge,” he wrote.
Ignorância, preconceito, desconhecimento… pic.twitter.com/NAq9h5s75w
— Tiago Barbosa Ribeiro (@tbribeiro) August 3, 2025
Within PS, Isabel Moreira also expressed on social media her support for women.
Política do governo: desconfiem dos pobres, dos que menos têm, presumam que pobres e imigrantes que ganham mal são “à partida” potenciais aldrabões. As mulheres pobres, então, “enganam” como ninguém, a Ministra do Trabalho tem percepções sobre isso. Virem-se contra “eles”.
— Isabel Moreira (@IsabelLMMoreira) August 4, 2025
The Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) noted that for this Government, “all working mothers are suspects.” “A government that hates workers and serves major employers,” reads the party’s social media, referencing the interview given by Maria do Rosário Palma.
Para este governo, todas as mães trabalhadoras são suspeitas. Um governo que odeia quem trabalha e que serve os grandes patrões. pic.twitter.com/cPo4XGK6hY
— PCP (@pcp_pt) August 3, 2025
Former Left Bloc deputy Moisés Ferreira also criticized the minister, noting that for the Government, “any worker’s right is an abuse.” “Employers, as we know, never abuse or exploit. They just need more help, poor people,” he wrote.
Para o Governo qualquer direito dos trabalhadores é um abuso. Já os patrões, como se sabe, nunca abusam nem exploram. Precisam é de mais ajudinhas, coitados.
— moises ferreira (@moisesscf) August 3, 2025
What did the minister say?
The interview at the center of the controversy was published on Sunday by TSF and Jornal de Notícias. The issue arises because the Minister of Labor, Solidarity, and Social Security revealed that she is aware of cases where “children seem to continue breastfeeding to grant the worker reduced hours, which are two hours a day paid by the employer, until they attend primary school.”
According to the minister, if true, “it would mean they probably don’t eat anything else, which is strange.”
“The proper exercise of a right should not be confused with its abusive exercise,” the minister argued.
The Minister of Labor, Solidarity, and Social Security also stated that gestational bereavement days for the father “make no sense,” as his role is to “accompany the pregnant woman who lost a child.”
Breastfeeding leave is expected to be altered by the Government so that a woman must initially present a medical declaration confirming she is breastfeeding, which must subsequently be renewed every six months. Moreover, the leave is only valid until the child turns two years old.
