“I think at this moment, we need to ensure minimum services. I believe this strike is completely uncalled for at this time. That’s my opinion,” the Madeira executive leader told journalists.
The general strike on Thursday has been called by CGTP-IN and UGT against the proposed revision of the Labor Code, marking the first joint action by the two main labor unions since June 2013, when Portugal was under the ‘troika’s intervention.
The Madeira government leader asserted the necessity of “starting to think about the world we are living in.”
In his view, “the world has changed,” calling for “a competitive economy” and “greater flexibility in all areas – productivity, labor -, which does not mean that workers’ rights should not be ensured.”
Miguel Albuquerque added that “the very configuration of the company itself has changed significantly,” making it “very important to focus on what is fundamental, which is for Portugal to continue to grow economically and maintain an important role in increasing productivity and economic growth.”
“These strikes only cause disruptive effects on the functioning of our society,” he argued.
The Madeira leader contended that strike calls occur because “many unions are influenced by the Communist Party, and most strikes are sparked for partisan reasons when a center-right government is in power, as there are fewer strikes when a left-wing government is ruling.”
Albuquerque pointed out that the new labor package “introduces some of the rules that most European countries already have, and Portugal must keep pace with this evolution.”
The president of the Madeira Regional Government stated that “Europe, in 1990, had 20% of the global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and currently has 14%,” stressing the necessity to “look at reality and not act like an ostrich,” as “Portugal is competing in a global economy.”
“Wages will only increase with higher productivity,” he emphasized, highlighting the need for a welfare state where “no one is left unprotected” in the existing European system, contrasting with situations in other continents like North America and Asia.
However, the island’s president maintained that “there has been significant misinformation” about the standards and content of the new labor law project, as many provisions are those that “most European countries” have.
“There is always great capacity for negotiation,” he stressed, noting that Madeira has seen negotiations with workers, mentioning the agreement reached on Tuesday with the region’s hotel sector, which determined a 6% increase in workers’ wages, a “fair” value considering the growth of this sector in the archipelago.
Miguel Albuquerque reaffirmed the need for Portugal to have “appropriate standards for economic growth.”
