Luís Marques Mendes visited the fish market in Costa da Caparica, Almada. Speaking to journalists present, the presidential candidate addressed the general strike and the potential for an agreement between UGT and the government.
“If everyone adopts a spirit of balance, openness, dialogue, and negotiation, I believe we will reach an agreement. If that spirit is absent, then the situation will become complicated,” he emphasized.
When questioned about whether the AD Executive might have undermined the negotiation possibilities by stating that the general strike was not significant, Marques Mendes played it down.
“I think that is normal. I don’t attribute much importance to that issue because, usually, the truth lies somewhere between the figures presented by the unions and the government’s numbers. Everyone has their role to play. The unions criticized the government, and the government downplayed the strike. The most important thing is that there is a meeting next week between the government and UGT, followed by an expansion to the social partners in social dialogue. If that happens, it’s the best sign we had today,” he noted.
Marques Mendes further believes that “to reach an agreement, everyone must make concessions.”
“Obviously, the government must make concessions because it is the author of the project—and that’s natural because it’s a maximalist draft to start making concessions—and there must also be concessions from both employers and unions,” he argued, reminding that “a company consists of employers, managers, and workers, and all of them need to gain something in this labor process; if there’s nothing to gain, then there won’t be an agreement.”
“Therefore, everyone needs to make concessions so that everyone can gain something. It’s inevitable for the government to concede. The appeal I make, as I have been doing for about a month, is: there was a setback along the way, which was the strike. It’s not dramatic. Now they will sit at the table to talk. Excellent. Now make an effort for balance. The keyword in this process is balance. If everyone gains something, then the law is balanced, and an agreement can be reached. If there’s no balance, it’s more difficult. The appeal I make is for serious and constructive dialogue,” he emphasized.
It is noteworthy that Portugal experienced its first general strike in 12 years yesterday. Many workers missed work to protest against the new labor law that the AD Government wants to implement in the country.
Despite the unions assuring that the strike was a success, the AD Government downplayed it, stating that it was insignificant.
The CGTP estimated that more than three million people took to the streets for the general strike on Thursday, December 11, but the government deemed the turnout “insignificant.” From healthcare to education, including transport and public services, the strike was notable in Portugal.
Notícias ao Minuto | 06:00 – 11/12/2025
However, one day after the general strike, the Labor Minister summoned UGT for a meeting to be held next week.
