Paulo Raimundo accused the Government of serving large economic groups and called for mobilization on the 11th, arguing that permanent contracts give workers freedom and security.
The general secretary of the PCP, Paulo Raimundo, stated this Monday in Alpiarça that the labor package under discussion “is an order from employers” and accused the Government of “serving large economic groups”, warning of a worsening of “precariousness and social injustice”.
“This employment package is a large order from economic groups and employers“, he said, referring to the changes to labor legislation which, according to him, aim to “impose longer working hours, more fixed-term contracts, more subcontracting and dismissals for just cause“, in addition to “cut overtime pay” and “attack the rights of mothers, fathers and children“.
During a lunch rally in Alpiarça, in the district of Santarém, the communist leader rejected the narrative that “the current law is rigid” and that “young people don’t want jobs for life”, countering that “The life of workers is hard”especially young people, who face precarious employment and low wages.
“One permanent contract does not prevent anyone from changing jobs, but it gives freedom and security. Those who have a precarious contract don’t know what tomorrow will be,” he said.
Paulo Raimundo called for mobilization against the labor packagehighlighting that “workers are the force that makes the economy work” and that “the more we know about the content of the package, the more reasons there are to fight it”.
“The 11th is fight day. It is not the final fight, but it is a decisive battle to stop this path“, he stated, calling for “courage, unity and class pride”.
Paulo Raimundo also accused the Government to “accelerate measures against the lives of the majority” and to maintain a policy “at the orders of Brussels and large economic groups”pointing as an example to the State Budget, which he classified as “a budget of benefits for banking and real estate funds, while denying salary increases, pensions and public services”.
Among the criticisms, highlighted “the dismantling of the National Health Service”, “the handover of housing to speculation”, “the increase in the cost of living” and “the intention to change the retirement age”arguing that “40 years of work and discounts are more than enough to access retirement without penalties”.
The PCP leader also accused the Government of promoting “a policy of privatization, attacking social security and handing over housing to speculation”, considering that “the housing problem is not a fiscal one”, but rather due to “the speculation of banks and real estate funds”.
The communist general secretary ended with a reference to the presidential elections, expressing “pride” in António Filipe’s candidacy, which he considered “the candidate of the people and the defense of rights”.
