Luís Montenegro ran an entire electoral campaign promising “stability” and “responsibility”. And then, less than two months after taking office, he completely shakes the country’s waters, shocking families and workers, with the presentation of a project for a huge revision of labor law.
The initial outcry was immediately immense and has been growing. Not only because of the content of the government’s draft but because of the intransigence and arrogance that the Minister of Labor and Luís Montenegro himself have demonstrated throughout these months.
In addition to this draft intending to profoundly change the relationship between workers and employers, increasing precariousness, reducing free and family time, reducing trade union freedom and the right to strike, among many other things, the government wants to negotiate it without letting its “main planks” fall and completely disregarding those with whom it will be negotiating (we hope) in good faith, namely unions and the UGT.
The shamelessness culminates in the stance towards today’s general strike. A strike accused of having political motivations (as if there were strikes for non-political reasons), of being inopportune, incomprehensible, anachronistic, untimely. Now, a general strike is never called lightly. It was the government that led to the scheduling of this strike with this draft “Work XXI” and the disastrous conduct of the process since then.
This stance on the part of a government supported by a parliamentary minority is incomprehensible. Or it won’t be so incomprehensible when we realize who will be available to support this precariousness of work and lack of support from families. Luís Montenegro always fails to keep his promise of “no is no” and, along the way, drags families and democracy into instability. Where is this election campaign promise?
This general strike is not just against the “Work XXI” draft. It is also against what motivated him: an anachronistic vision of society, where the economy does not work the same way for everyone, where flexibility is synonymous with instability, where rights are distorted to (supposedly) promote business. Against a vision of society that does not take advantage of technological innovation to truly bring work into the 21st century, allowing all people to have more stable and fulfilled lives, with more time and more income. Against a vision of a society that is ungrateful for all the past struggles that gave us such basic rights as weekends, vacations, minimum wage. Against a vision of society that sees strikes as a nuisance to be abolished, without recognizing the role that this form of protest had and still has in obtaining these rights. Against a vision of society that disdains unions, negotiations and consensus. And, for all this, this strike concerns us all.
If Luís Montenegro is truly concerned about the country’s stability, he has only one remedy: throw away his labor reform. Therefore, it will not move forward with a reform that would never last over time and calm the waters that it has now stirred.
Parliamentary leader of Livre