At a press conference at Chega’s national headquarters in Lisbon, André Ventura announced that he had informed PSD parliamentary leader Hugo Soares on Tuesday of Chega’s readiness to participate in a “joint proposal” enabling labor law changes to pass “without any need for the PS” as parliamentary work resumes.
“Chega will await feedback from employers, business entities, labor representatives, and unions to propose a joint initiative that limits the detrimental aspects presented by the Government, but aligns with the current demands of small and medium-sized enterprises, labor, and the economy”, he stated.
Ventura cautioned that his party has “red lines” for reaching an agreement on these issues, suggesting that the government’s draft is on a path that “is not the right one” and “has heightened concerns and a sense of arbitrariness.”
He stressed Chega “cannot accept, and the Government should retract, the reduction of breastfeeding leave”, which he deemed “a mistake against Portuguese mothers and a mistake in a country experiencing a demographic winter.”
Similarly, Ventura emphasized Chega “cannot accept changes to gestational mourning legislation,” arguing it is “an unnecessary cruelty that will bring no economic benefit.”
He also disagreed with the government’s stance on short-term contracts, expressing that Chega could consent to this provided “there is no form of arbitrariness involved.”
“Yes, we can have short-term contracts and more flexible contracts, but they should not abandon written form as the government proposes, as this implies a reduction of rights and predictability in the business-worker relationship,” he said.
Ventura also opposed the government’s plan to set a minimum duration of one year for such contracts, advocating for “more flexibility” in this area.
“If a company has a need because a worker is on leave or pregnant, whatever the case, and requires a worker for six, seven, or eight months, why can’t they hire one?” he queried.
Ventura also criticized the government’s intention to eliminate the restriction on companies using ‘outsourcing’ following a collective dismissal, suggesting it signals that they can “dismiss everyone, then use external entities to perform the work.”
“This is wrong, sends the wrong message to the economy, to people’s security, and to the social justice we should also promote,” he remarked.
Apart from these issues, Ventura acknowledged there is “room for progress” regarding matters such as digital platforms, “more flexible work, or six-month parental leave.”
“The Government has here the political signal of the path it can and should take for joint legislation approval at the beginning of the next legislative session. (…) On our part, there is no more destruction for the sake of destruction, nor attempts to reject for rejection’s sake. We are here to work,” he stated.
When asked about the proposals Chega intends to present, André Ventura expressed a desire to establish a sort of “anti-abuse clause in Social Security, to combat fraud and abuses in the Social Insertion Income (RSI) and undue subsidy allocations.”
“We will seek to ensure that the Government is also sensitive to this issue,” he added.
