The labor package has no possible amendments; the only solution is the withdrawal of each of the 100 proposals it contains,” stated Paulo Raimundo during his speech this afternoon at the 13th Congress of the Portuguese Communist Youth (JCP) in Oeiras.
According to the communist leader, this labor package was “crafted by economic groups, voiced by PSD, CDS, Chega, and IL,” forecasting “the maneuver currently underway.”
“In the coming times, hours, or days, certain proposals that are so vile will be dropped from the government’s current proposal at the first opportunity. This move will be marketed as a concession,” he warned.
The PCP leader noted that the focus “will shift to this debate” while neglecting the “main lines.”
“Those that truly interest capital remain. I would say they would remain because we will not allow them to dismantle our lives,” he declared.
Raimundo challenged Prime Minister Luís Montenegro to explain to young workers, 54% of whom live precariously, “why they want more temporary contracts, more fake green receipts, and even more instability.”
“Come, face to face with the youth, sell the virtues of even greater deregulation of working hours,” he urged.
For PCP’s secretary-general, “in the face of the ongoing brutal attack, there is only one possible response,” which is to “escalate the struggle and move towards the general strike” scheduled for December 11.
“A day when all workers, those who create wealth, those who keep the country running, and especially the youth, have strong reasons to reject the labor package, to build and join the general strike,” he appealed to an audience of young communists.
Raimundo emphasized that on the day of the general strike, “the battle for life itself won’t be fought, but a better life is at stake that day.”
“On December 11, the strength of youth will also be asserted. This youth that relies on the PCP and the JCP to find in Portugal the conditions to study, work, and be happy,” he promised.
The PCP leader also criticized those who “talk about nationality but support ‘golden visas,’ which are indeed a wide-open door for buying nationality, corruption, and money laundering.”
“The same people who spew hatred against unions to serve and protect employer interests,” he criticized.
