A strike, called by the National Federation of Independent Unions of Public Administration and Entities with Public Purposes (Fesinap), which includes minimum services, encompasses workers from all public administration careers, both general and special.
The immediate withdrawal of the labor reform proposal, requesting an urgent meeting with the Government about the “Work XXI” reform, ending union discrimination practiced by the executive, and effective participation of Fesinap in labor negotiations are the reasons for the strike.
In statements to the Lusa agency, the secretary-general of Fesinap said that education, including teachers and non-teaching staff, and health, including doctors and nurses, “may be the most affected sectors due to the stoppage.”
“The strike follows the labor package presented by the Government to the unions. In our view, this package sets back labor legislation by more than 20 years, bringing setbacks to workers and future generations. It introduces much inconsistency and doubt, everything detrimental to the labor market,” stated Mário Rui to the Lusa agency.
According to the secretary-general of Fesinap, with this reform, Portuguese workers will become even poorer compared to their European counterparts.
“Therefore, public administration will be on strike tomorrow [Friday]. We predict significant disruption in almost all sectors. In schools, courts, hospitals, social security services, etc. It will be a strong signal for December 11th, the general strike day, and December 12th, as Fesinap will also be filing a notice of strike for that date,” he said.
The union leader highlighted that minimum services have been decreed for all public institutions.
Mário Rui also noted that the strike aims to denounce the union discrimination practiced by successive governments.
“We represent thousands of workers who do not recognize themselves in the trade union structures that the Government regularly meets with, like UGT and CGTP. (…) For years we have tried to dialogue with the Government, but it has consistently chosen to dialogue only with the unions,” he said.
For the secretary-general of Fesinap, this stance by the Executive is “undemocratic and incomprehensible.”
“If this position by the Government remains, workers will take to the streets to demand their rights and the rights of their families. The Government needs to see Fesinap differently; we have thousands of affiliated workers,” he emphasized.
