Mortagua demands that Montenegro clarify its commitments to raise wages

BE coordinator Mariana Mortagua demanded that Prime Minister Luis Montenegro clarify whether he would raise wages and accused the government of “taking orders from the bosses” at a Social Accord meeting on Tuesday.

“There is a lot that needs to be cleared up and it is important that the government does so. If only to make it clear to the whole country that the SDP work program is nothing more than the old story of more liberalization, more deregulation.” to work even harder for increasingly lower wages, given the cost of living in Portugal,” said Mariana Mortagua.

The bloc coordinator spoke at the end of the BE parliamentary days, at the Legislative Assembly of Madeira in Funchal.

Mariana Mortagua emphasized that the leader “talks about increasing wages in his program, but he does not have a unified strategy” to increase them and “even the minimum wage is very misleading.”

“Because at the same time, when you talk about 1000 euros in 2028, […] A little further down in the government program, the PSD government talks about a minimum wage that will change depending on inflation or productivity,” he continued.

“And what remains for us? Is there a minimum wage obligation or no minimum wage obligation? If so, what is the obligation? Is there an obligation to increase wages or is there no obligation to increase wages?” he asked, adding: “These are questions that the PSD government and Luis Montenegro must clarify after the meeting with Social Accord.”

Mariana Mortagua was referring to this afternoon’s meeting between the Prime Minister, the Minister of Labor, the Minister of Economy and the social partners.

The BE coordinator emphasized that “long before this social coherence meeting”, “long before any other meeting”, the government met with the Portuguese Business Confederation (CIP).

“And this is the context of the Prime Minister’s first meeting with Social Cohesion. The government and the prime minister will receive instructions from the leaders regarding this Social Harmony meeting,” he charged.

“The role is to clarify all the proposals that the authorities present and want to see on the agenda of social consultations and which, in fact, were already in the PSD program and in the government program,” emphasized the Bloc coordinator.

The bloc leader considered that the proposals required by the CIP are set out in the government program, such as reducing the IRC (corporate income tax) “by two percentage points per year to reduce taxes on large companies.”

“And we know how it impacts and only benefits large companies. And we know that the government’s agenda is to replace policies that force companies to raise wages with bonus policies that pay no taxes or pay social security contributions.” destroying workers’ careers and funding for public services because the bosses demand it,” he added.

Mariana Mortagua said the government program also includes “the abolition of labor law guarantees, which will relate to collective agreements in which companies and employers have a lot of power, fundamental issues such as the regulation of working hours, labor and worsening precarity.”

On April 10, CIP President Armindo Monteiro said that meetings had already taken place between “members of the government” and the confederation to give “impetus” to the discussion of Social Cohesion measures with all partners.

The CIP president said that “bilateral conversations” were held with members of the executive branch, led by Luis Montenegro, during which the employers’ confederation presented its proposals, some of which were already reflected in the government program.