The appeal was unanimously approved today during an expanded meeting of the district board, which brought together the district secretariat, municipal representatives of the TSD in PSD’s political committees, the chairman of the board, and labor section presidents, according to the press release.
The district board considers that the call for a general strike is “disproportionate and untimely,” arguing that the draft labor reform, Trabalho XXI, is currently under discussion and negotiation with social partners.
Criticizing the CGTP’s stance, “which from the outset refused to negotiate and engage in dialogue,” Porto’s TSD members praised the UGT for “maintaining its participatory attitude in the various scheduled meetings for this purpose, while the Government adheres to the agreed methodology.”
“We know that the CGTP is an armed wing of the PCP, whereas the UGT, with a majority of leaders from the socialist tendency and a minority from the social-democratic tendency [including the TSD], has always been committed to the greater value of dialogue and social peace, signing important agreements, whether under left-wing or right-wing governments. We urge the UGT not to change this stance for the sake of union unity,” the statement continues.
The social democrats “commend the Government’s attitude, as it has done everything to improve the lives of Portuguese workers, companies, and families through an income policy that values work and savings, merit, and social justice.”
The TSD district highlights that “the average income of Portuguese workers in 2024 increased by 6.7%, the highest value among OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] countries,” emphasizing that this marks “the largest increase in 16 years, attributed to salary increases and tax reductions.”
The organization also notes that “in 2026, the Portuguese will experience the fourth reduction in IRS over three years” and that the National Minimum Wage “will increase above expectations: to 920 euros next year, with a commitment to reach 1,100 euros by the end of the legislative term,” as well as that the “Government is ahead by three years in the target for average salary: 1,890 euros in 2028.”
“To date, 20 special careers have been enhanced (26 agreements signed with unions). The country is experiencing near full employment, with an unemployment rate at historically low levels, below 6%. The favorable economic climate leads us to anticipate that GDP should grow by 2.3%, marking the fifth consecutive year that the country grows above the Eurozone and the EU [European Union],” the press release continues.
For the TSD, it is “in this context that the country should have the ambition to adapt the labor code to modern times, leaving behind archaic models and high labor conflictuality.”
The general strike was announced on Saturday by CGTP General Secretary Tiago Oliveira at the end of a national march against the labor package, which brought thousands of workers down Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon to protest against the changes proposed by the Government of Luís Montenegro.
After the strike announcement, demonstrators showed support for the 24-hour stoppage, chanting, “the attack is brutal, let’s go to the general strike.”
On Thursday, the UGT unanimously approved the decision to move forward in convergence with the CGTP, including the favorable vote of the Social Democratic Workers (TSD).
This will be the first shutdown to unite the two trade union centers since June 2013, when Portugal was under the intervention of the ‘troika’.
