“The best thing that could happen for the UGT not to go on strike is for everyone to reflect if it was not the time, now, to stop,” stated Mário Mourão in an interview on Antena 1 and Jornal de Negócios.
Using the “stop, listen and look” signal, the leader of the General Workers’ Union advised the government to “stop, listen, and reflect” to see “how far we can go” from “both sides.” By withdrawing the labor change proposal, the government could lead to the abandonment of the general strike scheduled for December 11, initially called by the CGTP-In, and later joined by the UGT.
When asked about what needs to happen in the meetings scheduled for November 19 and December 10 to prevent the strike, Mourão was adamant that if the government presents the “same sheet” as recently delivered, there is no other option: “Perhaps what we need to think about is scheduling two days of strike, instead of just one,” he said.
“We, in five months, could not produce a document that included the various proposals. Do you think in a month, less than a month, we will be able to do that? I have many doubts,” the union leader questioned and answered.
The UGT and CGTP are set to go on a general strike on December 11, but the government states that it is “open to dialogue” to avoid the strike. So, what’s the situation? Stay informed.
Beatriz Vasconcelos with Lusa | 08:10 – 14/11/2025
Mário Mourão said that at the previous meeting of the Social Dialogue, it became clear that the government was preparing to take the proposal, as it was, to the Assembly of the Republic unless the UGT committed to an agreement.
“The government backed the UGT into a corner,” remarked the general secretary of the union, who, when faced with this perspective, decided it was time to take to the streets, hoping for strong support for the strike.
According to Mourão, the government’s stance is creating obstacles in negotiating collective agreements, citing EDP as an example, which, during a negotiation meeting, used the government’s draft project as if it were already taken as law.
The union leader lamented that, contrary to what the government stated when negotiations began, it has set red lines, and considered that if negotiations were directly between employers and unions, they would probably have reached bilateral agreements.
“The government should be an arbiter here at Social Dialogue, as it is in the ILO [International Labour Organization],” he advocated, admitting, however, that this is not possible as the government positions itself as “a partner and therefore has its interests” in this proposal.
For Mário Mourão, the government’s attitude will create divisions in the Social Dialogue that will leave marks for the future, ensuring that the UGT, which has always been open to dialogue, will act differently.
The union leader described the proposal presented at Tuesday’s government meeting as “innocuous” and said that some changes, such as those related to ‘outsourcing’, are even worse than those in the initial document.
“It is not enough for the UGT to believe there is already a negotiating and dialoguing environment that UGT wants at the negotiating table,” Mourão stated, pointing out that one of the union’s red lines is the individual Hours Bank.
The Minister of Labor assured today that negotiations with all social partners regarding labor law changes are underway and reiterated that she prioritizes debate in Social Dialogue.
Lusa | 16:51 – 14/11/2025
The general strike was announced on the 8th by CGTP General Secretary Tiago Oliveira, at the end of the national march against the labor package, which saw thousands of workers descend Lisbon’s Avenida da Liberdade in protest against the changes proposed by the government of Luís Montenegro.
On Thursday, the UGT unanimously approved the decision to proceed in convergence with CGTP, thus including the favorable vote of the Social Democratic Workers (TSD).
This will be the first strike to bring together the two union confederations since June 2013, during the time Portugal was under the ‘troika’ intervention.
