Despite the government's insistence that Portugal is undergoing an economic miracle, much of this is based on low wages and job insecurity.
Portugal’s largest inter-union group, the Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses (CGTP), has announced a demonstration in Lisbon on November 18th and has called on workers from the public and private sectors, young, retired and the unemployed to participate in "a great national demonstration" against job insecurity and low wages.
The national CGTP leader, Arménio Carlos, explained that this is a struggle for valuing work and workers, for workers’ rights and for the fight against injustices and inequalities.
At a national unions meeting in Lisbon, which brought together 750 trade union delegates and activists, Arménio Carlos listed some of the most recent workers' struggles, such as the nurses' strike and the labour problems at Autoeuropa, and stated that it is because of these struggles that the demonstration will be held.
Arménio Carlos also announced a campaign to combat job insecurity by launching a national petition which, in his opinion, will "be a milestone.”
The petition, approved on Monday by the national council of the CGTP, "is needed as there are more than one million workers with job insecurity in Portugal," said Carlos, adding that insecurity in employment and uncertainty in the lives of workers and their families is a problem across the whole country.
The union lists their demands and require that the State Budget for 2018 gives priority to measures to ensure a fiscal policy reform that raises incomes.
This last measure is on the ‘list of things to debate’ as the Socialist Party, backed by its left wing party support, already has proposed altering income tax bands and raising tax payment starting levels, leaving workers with more disposable income, a key part of the government’s strategy to boost the economy by releasing more money into the economy.