In the midst of catastrophe, the only union ‘dialoguing with the government’ over the latter’s plan for labour reform has delivered a ‘counter proposal’ which turns the PSD/CDS-PP coalition’s blueprint on its head.
Starting with renaming the reform altogether (from the government’s choice “Trabalho XXI” or Work 21, referring to the 21st century to “Trabalho com Direitos XXI”, or Work with Rights 21), the document seeks to alter roughly 80 of the government’s measures – and includes a few suggestions of its own.
Among proposals are a reduction in the working week (to 35 hours), increased compensatory rest periods for overtime, changes to the length of holidays (to 25 instead of the current 22 days), expiry of fixed-term contracts and compensation rules in cases of dismissal, and the concept of economic dependence of self-employed workers
The trade union once again highlights the ‘manifest imbalance’ of the draft legislation that the government presented for social partner consultation last summer, reiterating that ‘all of the proposals favour the employer’.
UGT stresses that the government’s proposal deserved a ‘resounding no’ from the trade union and this position ‘has not changed’.
In the introductory note accompanying its proposal, UGT reaffirms that it has ‘red lines on issues such as time banking, fixed-term contracts, dismissals, outsourcing, transfer of undertakings, undeclared work, collective bargaining, strikes and trade union activity in the company’. These are matters where, it stresses, ‘the [government’s] proposals as presented are unacceptable’.
This will be a(nother) slap in the face for the government which has already turned its back on CGTP (the more militant trade union confederation) for saying very much the same. The understanding of the executive had been that UGT would be more ‘amenable’. It hasn’t been.
There has already been one national strike over the government’s labour reform – a strike the executive sought to underplay – and now UGT has shown there could well be another, unless things start to change.
Among the many ‘ideas’ presented by UGT is a four-day week for workers with children under the age of 12 (workers with chronic illnesses are also to be included).
When it comes to collective dismissals, the union wants to return to the legislation pre-troika (the austerity period following a €79 billion bailout) that workers would be entitled to compensation equivalent to a month’s salary for every year worked. It also seeks to increase the powers of the Authority for Work Conditions, as well as the Commission for Equality in Work and Employment.
Says Expresso, these proposals land in the government’s lap at a point when there is no date for resuming ‘negotiations’. Meetings that had been planned have all been cancelled “due to political agenda imperatives”, or perhaps because this is turning into a major headache.
What Expresso doesn’t mention is the fact that the more militant CGTP has already called for ‘mass demonstrations’ against “Trabalho XXI” in Lisbon and Porto for February 28 – and António José Seguro (tipped to be elected Portugal’s next president) has said he will not be approving the document in its current form.
Source material: Expresso
