The Portuguese Prime Minister sees no point in the general strike against labor reform

The Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro (center-right), sees no point in the general strike called in the country for next December 11 by the unions to protest against the labor reform project of his Executive. “A general strike. Why? A general strike. To demand what?” said Montenegro during his bi-weekly appearance before the unicameral Assembly of the Republic (Parliament). The head of the Executive labeled this protest action as “political” and criticized the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP), which he accused of not wanting to reach an agreement, and the rest of the unions, which he considered to have fallen into the “trap” of the former.

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And he added that on the part of his Government “all the conditions exist” to try to reach an agreement that includes “positive” proposals from those involved. Even so, he emphasized that the Executive “fully respects the right to strike and the legitimate exercise of that right and never questions it”. Unions have called a general strike in Portugal for December 11th against the labor reform proposed by the Government, considering that it will limit some of the workers’ rights. The Executive began negotiations in September with the employers’ association and the unions to carry out this reform, which foresees the revision of more than a hundred articles of the Labor Code and which must be debated in Parliament. Some of the most controversial changes have to do with the breastfeeding period and permits to breastfeed the baby, as the Government wants to limit it to two years, while the current regulations state that mothers who breastfeed their children have the right to be excused from their jobs to be able to do so for the duration of breastfeeding.