“This people will not give up on a public SATA. They will not allow SATA workers to be scapegoated for something that is the sole responsibility of political power and the service commissions that have been and are at the forefront of SATA,” asserted the leader.
The communist leader spoke at the auditorium of the Regional Finance Secretariat in Ponta Delgada during the presentation of municipal candidates.
As the privatization of Azores Airlines, part of the SATA group, is under negotiation, Paulo Raimundo reiterated the importance of keeping the Azorean airline public.
“The workers are not only not responsible, but they are also the main stakeholders in saving SATA because only a public SATA can fulfill the public service,” he emphasized.
On September 18, the Newtour/MS Aviation consortium indicated that it is awaiting a “definitive decision” from the workers regarding the future of Azores Airlines, as negotiations with management are “nearing conclusion.”
Paulo Raimundo maintained his criticism of the government’s labor package, warning that the communists “will not comply.”
“We will not comply with this labor package they want to impose on workers, which is to add even more insecurity to insecurity and more deregulation to work hours,” he reinforced.
The General Secretary of the PCP also highlighted that the Azores should not be turned into a “tourist resort.”
“They want to turn the Azores into a tourist resort. No. We have the conditions for a tourism sector, it’s true, but we do not wish to be turned into a tourist resort. It is an autonomous region with specific conditions but can and should produce more,” he argued.
Referring to the situation in Ponta Delgada, Paulo Raimundo reiterated that the “people need decent housing” and called for a fight against “big interests.”
“Unless we confront the big interests of this entitlement turned business, which is housing, namely the banks and real estate funds, we are deluding ourselves. We will not solve the problems.”
During the session, the PCP leader in the region accused the government of the Azores (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) of conducting a “politics of make-believe and studies,” stating that when it’s “necessary to respond to problems,” the regional executive only presents the “same old blah, blah, blah.”
“We have a government that governs for a minority to maintain its hold on power,” claimed Marco Varela.
The CDU candidate for the Ponta Delgada City Council denounced the social issues in the archipelago as an “alarming level of poverty,” “persistent school dropout,” “inequalities,” and the “marginalization of the elderly.”
“Changing means changing the cycle of poverty and exclusion that has imprisoned the Azores, returning the focus to decent work instead of exploitation, ensuring affordable housing instead of rents that suffocate families,” said Henrique Levy.
The municipal elections are scheduled for October 12.
