The main union confederation, General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP), has announced that it will hold two major events in Lisbon and Oporto on 19 May to protest against the austerity measures that will accompany the country’s financial bailout. CGTP secretary general Manuel Carvalho da Silva said that Portugal needs to fulfill its financial obligations but at the same time ensure the economic and social well-being of the population, and any future plan should not cut the pensions of the poorest or lower minimum wages. Public sector workers, who have already had their wages cut, are also planning to strike, already at the beginning of May.
English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13111910
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/7366899.html
Portuguese: http://www.cgtp.pt/index.php?option=com_content ...
This article was published in the Collective Bargaining Newsletter. It aims to facilitate information exchange between trade unions and to support the work of ETUC's collective bargaining committee. For more information, please contact the editor Maarten van Klaveren, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) M.vanKlaveren@uva.nl. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net. © ETUI aisbl, Brussels 2011.