Prime Minister Luís Montenegro stated on Thursday that the government does not intend to “prejudice the rights of workers” with its proposed labor law reform, but rather aims to “stimulate economic growth.”
“We have no intention of harming workers’ rights. We want the labor legislation, as a whole, to be flexible enough to stimulate economic growth, favor productivity and competitiveness in our economy, and with that, promote stable work relationships, as well as increase wages and the economy’s capacity to generate the wealth that allows for sustainability and job preservation,” he remarked to journalists in Guimarães.
The Prime Minister stressed the necessity for dialogue “with the representative entities of the workers,” acknowledging that some measures “will please some more than others.”
“It’s impossible for everyone to agree on everything. That’s impossible. The basis of any agreement will always mean a concession from each party,” he warned.
Montenegro further noted that “the latest changes to labor legislation did not favor the competitiveness of our economy and are currently among the factors hindering us from achieving more vigorous and sustained economic growth.”
It should be noted that CGTP and UGT have decided to call for a general strike on December 11, in response to the government’s draft labor legislation reform.
The strike, called by the two union federations, is a reaction to the government’s proposed labor law reform, which includes increasing the duration of fixed-term contracts, reintroducing individual time banks, ending restrictions on outsourcing after layoffs, revising parental leave, and strengthening mandatory minimum services in the event of a strike, among other proposed changes.
This will be the first strike to unite both CGTP and UGT since June 2013, during the period when Portugal was under the troika’s intervention.
