“In a context marked by persistent and worsening issues and with legislative elections approaching on May 18, the CGTP-IN emphasizes the need for a different policy. This policy should aim to better distribute the created wealth and ensure a significant increase in all salaries, committed to the values and achievements of April, defending and valuing the rights of current and past workers, children, and young people, while advocating for a sovereign developmental model that enhances and diversifies national production and recovers sectors and companies,” stated the organization in a communiqué.
The trade union confederation has outlined a list of workers’ priorities sent to political parties. This includes a 15% salary increase, with a minimum increase of 150 euros for all workers, which “represents less than 10 billion euros, compared to the 33.4 billion euros appropriated by 1,615 large companies in the national economy.”
The inter-union body highlighted that a 15% increase in all wages would result in a maximum increase of 2.6% in total company costs.
Additionally, the CGTP calls for the collective bargaining process to be freed from restrictive norms, advocating for the repeal of the survival and expiration regime of collective labor agreements, the complete restoration of the principle of more favorable treatment for workers, the repeal of the rule allowing the individual selection of the applicable collective agreement, and the rule allowing the expiration of collective agreements due to the extinction of an employer association.
The CGTP further advocates for employment with rights for all workers and the fight against all forms of labor precariousness.
In terms of labor law and working time, the union demands adherence to trade union freedom, eliminating norms restricting the right to strike, such as “abusive recourse to minimum services,” changing the compensation regime for dismissal on objective grounds, 25 working days of vacation for all workers, and increasing extra pay for overtime work.
This is accompanied by the repeal of the 180-day probationary period for indefinite term contracts, limiting the reasons justifying fixed-term contracts, capping possibilities for temporary work contracts, and repealing the regimes for very short-duration employment contracts and student contracts during holiday periods.
The inter-union body also seeks better regulation of digital platform work and remote work, as well as the regulation of the introduction of “algorithmic management and AI mechanisms in recruitment processes.”
Concerning working hours, the CGTP demands a reduction in the normal weekly working period to 35 hours without loss of pay, the repeal of adaptability, hour banks, and concentrated work schedules, limiting night work, shift work, and continuous operation regimes, ensuring two consecutive days of weekly rest, and extending the flexible working hours regime to workers with family responsibilities, including those with children up to 16 years old.
Public services and the social functions of the state are other areas the CGTP has focused on, urging a funding policy that meets service needs, enhancing primary health care within the NHS, ending public-private partnerships and the process of transferring competencies to local authorities, and expanding the public network of continued and palliative care.
Among the demands is also the alteration of NHS statute regulation “to reflect the most progressive contents of the new health base law and prioritize the implementation of local health systems.”
Regarding Social Security, the CGTP seeks measures such as regularizing all benefits, restoring the purchasing power improvement for all retirees and pensioners, offering full retirement without penalties for workers with 40 or more years of contributions, restoring the retirement age of 65, revising the unemployment social protection regime, and reinstating the universality of child and youth benefits.
In the document released today, the trade union also calls for a quality public school system, reducing the number of students per class, hiring teaching and non-teaching staff, expanding the public pre-school network, controlling rent prices, broadening the public housing stock at affordable prices, and launching a national housing program.
In the fiscal policy section, the union demands that all essential goods be subject to a reduced VAT rate, the creation of more income tax brackets, and that corporate income tax applies to income generated or realized in Portugal.
