The General Secretary of the PCP, Paulo Raimundo, took to the streets on the day of a general strike, stating that “we are witnessing a historic participation.”
The general strike on Thursday, December 11, is impacting various sectors, from transport to health, education, and public services.
For the General Secretary of the PCP, the participation is not only historic but “just,” as the labor package against which the Portuguese are protesting today serves only to “tighten the lives of those who are already living a tight life.”
“It is a moment of strength, an affirmation of workers, of their rights, of rejection of the labor package and the Government will not remain indifferent,” he said near the Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon, arguing that “the [labor] package as a whole must be removed.”
“In response to such an action, the Government will have to withdraw the labor package,” he insisted, also noting that “the Government is not in a position to face such strength and unity.”
Paulo Raimundo also emphasized that the labor law results “significantly from political games,” and this is evident from the fact that it is a package “designed by employers” and “voiced through the PSD, CDS, Labor Initiative, and Chega.”
Today’s general strike was called by CGTP and UGT in response to the draft law on labor legislation reform presented by the Government. This is the first strike joining the two unions since June 2013, when Portugal was under the intervention of the troika.
