Prime Minister Luís Montenegro affirmed during the biweekly debate on December 5 at the Assembleia da República that he “fully respects the right to a general strike” and would “never” question this right. However, he “does not understand” why it is happening at this time.
“Frankly, at a time when the country’s average income has increased by 6.5%, the largest increase in the OECD, when the overall income of Portuguese workers rose by around 9% this year, when the tax and contribution burden is decreasing, at a time when this Parliament approved the State Budget for 2026 which enshrined the fourth consecutive reduction in IRS – in just one year and eight months of governance, and at a time when it is anticipated that the national minimum wage will rise again via an agreement signed in social concertation, it is not understood,” he remarked.
For Montenegro, the Government “is not satisfied with a 2% economic growth,” as the AD Executive desires a growth of “3%, 3.5%, 4%.”
The Prime Minister also mentioned agreements signed in Public Administration and addressed the PS parliamentary leader, Eurico Brilhante Dias: “They may be the Montenegro agreements, the Miranda Sarmento agreements… Medina agreements are surely not, because he did not sign any and neither did you.”
“Now we are on the right track, we are building the Portugal of the future,” he asserted, questioning: “A general strike for what? To demand what from the Government?”
“The strike is political, it motivates those who will never reach an agreement, do not want to reach an agreement – the CGTP – and mobilizes others who fell into the CGTP trap,” he considered, assuring, however, that he “respects those with union responsibilities.”
“There is no revolution coming, there will be no loss of rights, this strike makes no sense,” he concluded.
New immigrant return law will end legislation “that favors abuse”
The prime minister also argued today that the new legal regime for the return of illegal immigrants will eliminate “permissive legislation” that favors abuse and benefits offenders.
Today, the prime minister defended that the new legal regime for the return of illegal immigrants will put an end to “permissive legislation” that encourages abuse and benefits those who violate it.
Lusa | 11:09 – 05/12/2025
“What we have today is permissive legislation whose rules end up encouraging abuse and ultimately result in those who violate the law benefiting from it,” stated the prime minister regarding the issue.
[News updated at 11:21]
