Montenegro once again discredits the general strike, which it claims is politically motivated

The Prime Minister defended, this Friday, that the general strike on the 11th “makes no sense” from the workers’ point of view and that the change in labor legislation is just “a pretext”.

Luis Montenegro he was speaking at the opening of the fortnightly debate, which takes place this Friday in Parliament, questioned by the PSD parliamentary leader, Hugo Soares, who asked him if it made sense for the PSD/CDS-PP executive to face a general strike before completing two years in office, when the PS governments had not had one in eight years.

The Prime Minister defended, as Hugo Soares had done before, that the Government’s intention to review the labor law was already expressed both in its program and in the tripartite agreement signed in October last year with the UGT and the business confederations.

Montenegro, the “unionized worker”

Afterwards, Montenegro did an exercise and put himself, not in the role of the unions, but as a “unionized worker” to decide whether or not to carry out the strike called by UGT and CGTP for December 11th.

“Am I going to strike because I’m earning less? No, I’m earning more. Am I going to strike because I’m paying more taxes on my work? No, I’m paying less taxes. Am I going to strike because my job is in danger? No, in the vast majority of cases my job is not in danger”, he asked and responded.

Still in the same role, Montenegro questioned whether the changes foreseen in labor legislation – which he stressed was still a draft being negotiated with the partners in the consultation – would be a reason to join the strike.

“I must wait to find out if anything is coming that will actually harm my life. As a union worker, I will read what is on the negotiating table today and conclude: No, no revolution is comingthere will be no loss of my rights, there will be an appreciation of our economy”, he stated

“So it’s worth continuing to work and this strike makes no sense”, he finished.

O Head of Government concluded that “the strike is political”motivating those who “will never, never reach an agreement”, addressing directly the CGTP and those who, “sincerely, fell into the CGTP trap”, in an implicit reference to UGT.

scheduled for next Friday.