The General Secretary of the Socialist Party, Pedro Nuno Santos, spoke this Sunday at the closing of the 24th Socialist Congress at the Lisbon International Fair.
Pedro Nuno Santos proposed increasing the minimum wage to at least 1,000 euros by the end of the next legislative assembly, in 2028, and renegotiating the income agreement agreed upon during social consultations.
“The current government has set a target of raising the national minimum wage from the current €820 (it was €505 in 2015) to €900 by 2026. We propose that by the end of the next legislative assembly, in 2028, the minimum wage will reach at least 1,000 euros,” he said.
The Socialist Secretary General stressed that “one of the problems of the Portuguese is the low level of their salaries,” emphasizing that “the country has made great progress in the last eight years, but we understand that there is still much to be done.” do”.
“We should also review the income agreement recently agreed in social consultation so that increases in the minimum wage can be linked to increases in average wages,” he said.
Regarding pensions, Pedro Nuno Santos assured that the PS will “comply with the law that regulates their renewal, guaranteeing a minimum increase for the lowest pensions,” and noted that, “unlike the PSD,” the PS trusts the public pension system.
In the housing sector, the PS leader stressed that the sector is undergoing its “biggest reform”, which will see 32,000 homes built and rehabilitated by 2026, but said that in the short term, “the regulation of the housing sector also needs to be improved”. market,” emphasizing that in recent years “rents have increased significantly, which is unacceptable for many families.”
Pedro Nuno Santos noted that when inflation is “equal to or below” 2%, the renewal of rents will remain the same as today, but if it is above this value, “one will have to take into account the capacity for people to pay them, and this capacity measured by changes in wages.”
Pedro Nuno Santos announces a “new chapter”
The General Secretary of the Socialist Party began his speech by praising the leaders of António Costa, saying that it was he who would begin a new stage and write a new chapter of socialist governance.
“António Costa didn’t just turn the page on austerity.” In fact, the governments led by our Prime Minister have written an entire chapter full of achievements for the history of our democracy,” Pedro Nuno Santos said as the executive leader sat in the front row of Congress.
António Costa’s tenure as prime minister is “close to ending,” according to the new Socialist leader.
“Now it is our turn to begin a new phase. And we have a huge responsibility to write a new chapter in the book of PS management and development of our country,” he said before citing this fact. This year we celebrate our 50th anniversary on April 25th.
In his speech, Pedro Nuno Santos said he has ambitions of “a developed, dynamic and creative country, of entrepreneurs and workers, of producers who do not forget future generations, where no one is truly forgotten, where everyone feels like a full citizen.” right, where no one is invisible, disposable or seen as a burden.”
He concluded: “We don’t want a country at the European average, we want a country that is at the top: at the top of quality of life, security and innovation.”
“We don’t want to be the periphery of the European continent; we want to be the center that connects the Atlantic to Europe,” he added.
Pedro Nuno Santos wants selective support program
The PS Secretary General announced his intention to launch a program of selective support in a limited number of strategic areas with the potential to transform the economy, which will be decided by economic agents and academia within a decade.
In the closing speech of the 24th PS Congress at the Lisbon International Fair (FIL), Pedro Nuno Santos set as his “first and main task” the formation of a government to “change the specialization profile” of the Portuguese economy, as a means of “paying higher wages” and “financing developed social state.”
“But if we want to get results, we have to make fundamental changes to what has been done. The private sector can and should invest where it wants, as in any market economy, but the government has a responsibility to make choices about the sector and technology that needs to be supported,” he said.
According to a former minister for infrastructure and housing, in recent decades, “the inability to say no has led the state to indiscriminately support companies, industries and technologies, regardless of their potential to drag down the economy.”
“It’s time to set the record straight and make a choice because the government is making a choice: we can only transform the economy with more money for fewer sectors. Choices must be made based on the business, scientific and technological skills that already exist in Portugal. “, he decreed.
The PS Secretary General committed to a “joint and discussed” and “transparent and objective” selection of these sectors.
Pedro Nuno Santos promises reforms in social security, medical careers and teachers
“We are committed to discussing and implementing reform of the funding sources of the social security system so that its future sustainability does not depend solely on contributions paid for work,” he said, issuing a political warning.
“When we become a government, we will not question everything. We do not play with reforms, we do not change for the sake of change,” the socialist leader warned.
In the case of the National Health Service (SNS), Pedro Nuno Santos defended the recent reform that came into force, adding, however, that “it needs to be implemented and consolidated.”
“We need to invest in medical career development so that we have healthcare workers motivated to work at SNS. We need to invest in upgrading the equipment used in SNS. And above all, we need to continue to believe and invest in SNS so that it provides a quality response to the needs of the Portuguese, as well as providing new answers to the usual needs of the Portuguese,” he said.
He referred in particular to oral hygiene, where Portugal “systematically shows poor results.”
Then, regarding education, Pedro Nuno Santos noted that it is one of the sectors “where aging is most significant and in which there is an urgent need to strengthen the work of teachers so that they can respond to identified needs in the short, medium and long term.”
Tribute to Mario Soares before Pedro Nuno Santos’ performance
The PS General Secretary made his apotheotic entrance into the pavilion hosting the 24th PS National Congress, where he was applauded after paying tribute to founder Mario Soares.
A few minutes before the closing speech of the main socialist meeting, Pedro Nuno Santos made a lengthy appearance, which was applauded for several minutes and during which he crossed the stage from one end to the other, greeting the activists present.
With raised fists and in the full hall, “PS, PS, PS” was heard, and even when the applause stopped, the music continued and Pedro Nuno Santos continued with greetings, including to Prime Minister António Costa, who is sitting in the first hall. row.
Before joining the congressmen, Pedro Nuno Santos paid tribute to founder Mario Soares next to the statue that has stood at the entrance to the Lisbon International Fair (FIL) pavilion since day one, on the day that marks seven years since his death. socialist history.
Pedro Nuno joined the children of Mário Soares, João Soares and Isabel Soares, for a moment that was also attended by PS President Carlos Cesar.
In the update
Author: morning Post This Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.