The CGTP-IN aims to mark the holiday “in all districts of the country, with workers and their demands in the streets,” emphasizing that the goal is to make May 1st “a day of struggle, intervention, and denunciation, where workers come out to express what they seek in response to their problems,” according to Secretary-General Tiago Oliveira.
“We cannot take home the problems that we experience daily in the companies, because it is not at home that we will solve them. It is through direct confrontation in each workplace and on the street against the policies pursued by governments that do not allow workers to envisage a future,” he stated in remarks to the Lusa news agency.
Addressing issues like “wages, rights, and a better perspective on life,” Oliveira remarked that while both the government and employers acknowledge Portugal as “a country of low wages,” acknowledgment alone is insufficient: “Because those who live with low wages are the workers, and they understand the true magnitude of the problem,” he asserted.
The CGTP leader pointed out that “the average wage in Portugal is 55% of the average wage in the eurozone,” with “about 60% of salaried workers earning a gross salary of less than 1,000 euros per month.”
The union anticipates “a great May 1st,” following a similarly “great April 25th with thousands of workers in the streets, envisioning a different policy and direction for the country” with the upcoming legislative elections on May 18th, where “workers must express what they want for the future of the country.”
UGT Secretary-General Mário Mourão also highlighted to Lusa that the current internal and external context “does not change the course regarding issues of dialogue and social concertation.”
“This May 1st takes place against a backdrop of political instability and international unrest, but we will not accept changes that undermine social progress, nor will we accept the devaluation of those who work. Regardless of what happens, we will ensure commitments are fulfilled,” Mourão affirmed.
Rejecting “the perspective of those aiming to exploit a potential recession to halt the valorization of workers and work incomes and convergence with European partners,” the UGT will use May 1st to “reaffirm that agreements are not only to be honored during favorable times and when it benefits companies.”
In this context, the union organizes “a large gathering of syndicate leaders and workers” at the National Sports Center of Jamor in Lisbon, which Mourão hopes will attract over a thousand participants.
The celebrations at Lisbon’s National Sports Center of Jamor will commence at 10:00 AM with the 9th UGT Run, followed by various sports and union activities organized by affiliated unions. In the afternoon, at 3:00 PM, speeches by Mário Mourão and the union central president, Lucinda Dâmaso, are scheduled.
