The former Minister of Labor, Solidarity, and Social Security, José António Vieira da Silva, from the Socialist Party (PS) government, accused the current minister holding the same position, Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, on Thursday of giving an “unfortunate” justification in her statements regarding abuses in breastfeeding.
“The minister’s statement is, perhaps, even more incomprehensible than the text of the proposed law, because the justification is unfortunate and hasty. I would even say reckless, because without the data – and it’s very difficult to have them, since it is a relationship between the company and the worker – it casts a sort of dark shadow over those who benefit from this measure,” Vieira da Silva said in an interview with Antena 1.
The issue arises from the fact that the government does not have knowledge of the number of mothers currently on reduced hours under the breastfeeding exemption provided in the law, as reported by Notícias ao Minuto on Wednesday.
The declaration concerning the breastfeeding exemption, which is submitted by mothers, ends up staying with the company and is not communicated to any other entity. This also means that these figures do not reach the Executive, and thus, the government does not know how many workers are on reduced hours.
Furthermore, in Vieira da Silva’s opinion, the Minister of Labor from Luís Montenegro’s administration demonstrated “recklessness” and “carelessness” in the way she presented some of the measures of the labor reform.
“I’m surprised by this carelessness”
“These are incomprehensible statements and they surprise me because I know the minister, I know that she is a reputable academic and I had several contacts with her when I served as minister. I’m surprised by this carelessness because these systems are very sensitive. To start a bill presentation this way makes us wonder what is in all the other points [of the government’s proposal],” the former minister insisted.
The socialist former minister, author of the 2009 labor legislation reform, as RTP reminds, also denied that the issue of breastfeeding had been a topic in recent years raised by employers’ confederations: “It is a topic that has always been peaceful. It was a surprise to me.”
When it comes to a potential conflict between having children or choosing a professional career (…) the state must ensure that this is compatible with family life
In the same interview, the minister recalled that Portuguese law has been improving, with “all governments,” so that families can have “as many children as they would like.”
“Of course, there are other measures that governments can take, but the issue of work is a crucial issue in our society. For better or worse, we are all shaped by what we do professionally. Therefore, when there is a potential conflict between having children or opting for a professional career (…) the state must ensure that this is compatible with family life.”
Vieira da Silva continued: “There is no more critical moment in family life than the birth and the first years of a baby’s life. This is a fact that we all know and that is part of our lives.”
Read Also: “Reduced hours should be for all families with children up to 3 years old”
