Luís Montenegro wants to negotiate with UGT himself. This Wednesday, November 26th, the Prime Minister will receive the trade union center at his official residence.
The plan involves raising awareness of the importance of UGT on the path to an agreement in social consultation, It is uncertain whether the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, will also be at the meeting with Mário Mourão.
After the general strike was called for December 11th, the Government has sought to come closer in some positions regarding changes to the labor law, without abandoning the idea that rigidity must be combated.
The facilitation of collective dismissal is one of the great pillars for the UGT, because it is not only associated with a facilitated exit, but because, even if it is a fraudulent dismissal considered by the court, there is no mandatory reinstatement of the worker. As such, the security of the relationship falls to the worker, who comes to know that companies can even resort to outsourcing to fill the gaps, which, under current law, can only happen after 12 months.
The Government was sensitive to the scheduling of a general strike, which had not been seen since 2013, and in an attempt to convince the UGT to back down from that same strike, the Executive gave up on the idea of being able to give two extra days of vacation without the right to remuneration, benefiting, on the contrary, the worker who does not miss a day during the year to get three days of extra vacation. It reinstates the idea of 40 hours of training (proposed 20) and assumes that twelfths at Christmas and holidays depend on an agreement between worker and employer.
However, it was in the process of simplifying dismissal with just cause, namely with the absence of witness obligations, that the big change was made. Previously, companies with up to 250 workers would be affected, now only below 50 can the simplification be carried out. It is a clear response to the demands of the centers regarding criticism of large companies and collective dismissals, assuming the use of outsourcing.
More significant setbacks were seen in the issue of breastfeeding: despite requiring a certificate upon dispensation for lactation, proof is only necessary after the child’s first year.
Luís Montenegro’s plan is to find understandings in social consultation and not depend exclusively on Parliament. You know that the PS is against the measures and Chega expresses doubts about family issues such as shift and weekend workers, breastfeeding, although it has seen some of the demands come closer to being met. As far as DN knows, there are no agreements between parties and government regarding labor law, especially because now is State Budget time.
Mário Mourão, leader of the UGT, said five days ago that “the UGT, from the beginning, did not put the red lines on the table”, that “there are very sensitive matters” and that “they will not respond to the problems that the country has.” The various business confederations have stressed that it is necessary to remain calm and seek common ground between the parties.
It should be remembered that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic, has also called on the government to seek some consensus on these matters. Marques Mendes, a candidate supported by the PSD and close to Montenegro, expressed that he believed in an “agreement” with the UGT.