The Left Bloc (BE) this Friday submitted bills to parliament to expand access to child support for minors, create a network of public kindergartens and set 18 years as the minimum age for work.
The expansion of access to the child support guarantee scheme proposed by BE provides that a father or mother with a monthly income of up to just over €1,000 and with dependent children can access this support, without the possibility of confiscation of the allocated amount.
Currently, according to BE, to access the Child Support Guarantee Fund, “the gross value of the family’s per capita income must be less than €509.26, which corresponds to the social support index valid for 2023.”
The purpose of this fund is to provide food if the person legally obligated does not comply with this requirement.
However, according to BE, a mother who earns the minimum wage (€820) and lives with a minor is already excluded from this support.
“This discrepancy between the fund’s objectives and access rules, which undermine its effectiveness and reach, is incomprehensible,” BE explains in its proposal.
In two other bills, BE defends the inclusion of kindergartens in the Basic Law on the Education System and the creation of a public network of kindergartens, arguing that the Creche Feliz program, which “promotes access to free child care for children in certain settings,” does not address the “large shortage of places ”, leaving about 125 thousand children unattended.
The fourth BE Bill specifies that the amendment to the Labor Code corresponds to the minimum age for work upon completion of compulsory education, which is 18 years.
The Labor Code currently recognizes 16 years as the minimum age for employment, although it establishes “at the same time a direct link between the minor’s ability to work and the attendance or completion of compulsory education,” BE warns.
“In the General Law on Labor in Public Positions (…) this issue no longer arises, but this discrepancy is included in the Labor Code,” explains the Left Bloc, arguing that the bill retains “the possibility of a minor to secure work in exceptional situations, such as an employment contract concluded with students during holidays or school holidays, participation in events of a cultural, artistic or promotional nature or professional sports activities.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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