The General Secretary of the General Union of Workers (UGT), Mário Mourão, stated that the union currently opposes the draft presented after meeting with the President of the Republic at the Belém Palace in Lisbon.
For UGT, this is not a reform but a rupture, urging the government to bring different proposals at the Wednesday social dialogue meeting.
“The government had committed to adhere to previous agreements. With this proposal, it precisely disrespects that commitment, which is not good,” added the union leader, who considered it an “ideological obsession” to revisit measures that had already progressed, citing the intention to remove restrictions on outsourcing, among other measures under the Decent Work Agenda.
Mário Mourão also expressed satisfaction with the meeting with the President of the Republic, during which they discussed UGT’s concerns, and where the President provided a retrospective aligned with the union’s views.
When asked about the appeal made by former leaders of UGT and CGTP for the unions to unite against the government’s proposal, Mário Mourão noted the request but reminded that the UGT secretary-general does not decide on the strategy adopted by the union’s bodies. However, he did not rule out coordinated action if circumstances warrant it.
“UGT does not close doors to anything. It is open to actions, negotiation, and struggle,” emphasized Mário Mourão, highlighting the need to assess the government’s availability and other social partners to negotiate.
“If the government remains inflexible and the other partners, that is a good reason to pursue forms of struggle, including not excluding a general strike with other union organizations. This cannot be ruled out,” he added, noting that the union will resort to all available means to counter any arising intransigence in social dialogue.
Nevertheless, the union leader considered that scenario premature for now.
Besides UGT, the President of the Republic also met today with CGTP-IN and will later meet with the Portuguese Confederation of Commerce and Services (CCP) on this matter.
The government’s draft for revising labor legislation begins to be debated with social partners on Wednesday, marking the first social dialogue meeting since the proposal presentation, titled “Work XXI”.
Since then, bilateral meetings between the government and social partners have occurred, confirmed an official from the Ministry of Labor.
The proposed changes aim to cover areas from parenting (with adjustments in parental leave, breastfeeding, and gestational mourning) to flexible work, corporate training, or the trial period for work contracts, also extending the sectors covered by minimum services during strikes.
