The Prime Minister considered this Sunday, November 9, that the general strike called by CGTP and UGT “is incomprehensible”, saying that it only serves to “look at the interests” of the PCP and the PS, which “does not look good” on the union movement.
Speaking in the final stretch of the 4th EU-CELAC Summit that took place in Santa Marta (Colombia), Luís Montenegro was asked about the announcement by the CGTP, on Saturday, and today by the UGT, that they will move forward on December 11th to a joint general strike, which has as its central motivation the labor package that is being discussed in social consultation.
“Frankly, I cannot see any other reason for this position taken by the trade unions than to look at interests that, from my point of view, should not be the prevailing ones, which is the interest of the parties that are, above all, linked to the management of the two trade unions”he stated.
Montenegro said he really wanted to specify who he was talking about: “I’m talking about the Communist Party, which wants to show its existence through its trade union network in the CGTP, and I’m talking about the Socialist Party, which will also want to show its opposition political existence, taking advantage of some preponderance it has in the UGT”, he accused.
The Prime Minister reiterated considering the scheduling of the “untimely and even anachronistic” strikeas there is still no diploma approved by the Council of Ministers.
“Nobody can understand it and, in my opinion, it doesn’t look good on the union movement. I think the unions have everything they need to fulfill their task and their role – I don’t want to condition them, I think it’s great that they represent the labor interests of Portuguese workers -, but when the reality of the country is not the reality of the unions, something is wrong and it’s not the country”, he defended.
Asked about Chega’s challenge to back down on some matters in the labor package, Montenegro expressed openness to, when the diploma reaches parliament, speak to all parties, especially because PSD and CDS-PP do not have a majority to approve it alone.