PCP gives priority to agreements on labor laws, wages, housing and healthcare

The PKP Secretary General identifies the areas of labor laws, wages, housing and health care as priorities for agreements with the CoP, and rules out that differences in international politics could affect the stability of the government in the event of a left-wing majority.

In an interview with the Lusa agency, Paulo Raimundo emphasized that the PCP is “very convinced of the fairness” of the proposals contained in its electoral program, but does not deny “that there are proposals from others that are positive”, expressing his readiness to “discuss” if there is a left majority.

Paulo Raimundo emphasized that during the period of rapprochement of the left, from 2015 to 2021, it was not the PCP program that was implemented, but even in this case, the party sought not to miss “any opportunity to go further, to put more on the side of the workers rather than capital.”

Among the priorities that the PKP identifies for possible agreements with the PS in the post-legislative period, Paulo Raimundo highlighted, in particular, issues related to the “sphere of work”, namely “wages, workers’ rights, the end of the expiration of collective labor agreements.” bargain”.

The communist leader believes that the Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party, Pedro Nuno Santos, “gets it wrong” when he believes that labor laws should not be changed, stressing that “the reality of the country imposes different policies and different measures than those he contemplates” .

Paulo Raimundo believed that the need for stability in labor legislation, cited by Pedro Nuno Santos for refusing changes, in practice means “instability in the lives of thousands and thousands of workers”, as well as “precarity”, “low wages” and “precarity” . cruel uncertainty.”

For PCP Secretary General Pedro Nuno Santos’ statement is an assumption that in practice “this instability in the lives of thousands of people will continue, low wages will continue.”

“Ask me: do you think the PKP can respond to such a statement? I don’t think so. And you ask me further: so what is the path to rapprochement? not about PKP proposals, this is the reality of life,” he said.

In addition to labor issues, Paulo Raimundo also highlighted as a priority for understanding a measure in the CDU’s electoral program that aims to invest 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) in public housing and provide 50,000 new homes. .

Responding to the concerns of doctors, nurses and National Health Service (SNS) staff is also another of the priorities highlighted by Paulo Raimundo: the CDU proposes in its program a 50% increase in the basic remuneration of these specialists and an increase in service time by 25%.

On the other hand, Paulo Raimundo also argued that it is necessary to prevent the “total subordination” of political power to economic power, which he believes is currently happening, criticizing the PS for “abandoning this struggle by choice.”

Stressing that he still does not know the electoral program of the PS, Paulo Raimundo also said that he had heard the statement of Pedro Nuno Santos that the state budget for 2024 must be implemented, but warned that this document does not meet the problems of the country. .

“Here, at least, there is a contradiction between the statements ‘now it is what it is’ and subsequent strict adherence to the approved document, which in practice makes it impossible,” he said.

Regarding the possibility that possible disagreements on international politics, for example regarding the war in Ukraine, could affect the stability of the government in the case of a left-wing majority, Paulo Raimundo rejected this hypothesis.

“That was never the reason. This was not the reason in 2015, in 1974. Don’t ask us to change our international position, just as we will not ask the PS or any other party to change their international position.” positions. Let’s focus on something concrete that we can agree on,” he asked.