More than three hundred young people took to the streets, this Wednesday, in Lisbon, under heavy rain, in a protest for better wages, also leaving messages for the new Government, led by Luís Montenegro.
At 3:00 pm, young people gathered in Rossio, then headed towards the Assembly of the Republic, and not even the rain or wind stopped the protest.
Armed with banners from the CGTP unions, the protesters shouted fighting phrases, such as:
“For the country to move forward, salaries must increase” and “the fight continues in companies and on the streets”.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the protest, the general secretary of CGTP, Tiago Oliveira, stated that this “is a demonstration of strength, of determination”.
“We didn’t back down. This youth showed determination. They are willing to continue the fight to guarantee a better future for themselves”, he highlighted.
The demonstration was called by Interjovem, an organization of young CGTP workers, in defense of better working and living conditions, namely by increasing wages and reducing working hours.
“A young person enters the world of work without being able to have prospects for the future, without being able to have a contract, a decent salary, independence, start a family and have a home”, pointed out Tiago Oliveira.
Despite the lack of consensus, “there are conditions”
For the trade unionist, despite the difficulties in obtaining consensus in parliament, there are conditions for adopting political options that can respond to workers’ problems.
The problems are not new, “they have been plaguing young workers for years”, he said, noting that these difficulties are the result of “policies that respond to large companies and economic groups”, leaving aside, above all, young people and retirees.
“If today we feel abuses in the workplace, they exist because there are political choices made in the Assembly of the Republic that allow employers to apply all these abuses”, he stressed.
Stories from “working youth”
Present at the protest, Nídia Sousa, defended, in statements to Lusa, that “working youth are greatly affected by the weak increase in wages” and that the increase in the national minimum wage, although positive, is “insufficient given the increase in the cost of living mainly […] housing and food”, adding that “it is practically impossible for a young worker nowadays to be able to support themselves” and that this scenario is “inadmissible”.
Regarding the new Government, Nídia does not believe that this new legislature will be able to meet the workers’ demands and stressed that “they themselves [parlamento] they don’t understand each other”, adding that, “as long as there is no serious political understanding”, there will be no “positive return for workers”.
In turn, Daniela, 28 years old, said that young people organized this demonstration because they believe that “it is through struggle” that they achieve what “are their rights”.
“I’m here today because the conditions we have arrived at are unacceptable,” the 3rd cycle History teacher told Lusa, adding that, despite not working 40 hours, it is in agreement that “everyone works 35 hours”.
Marcos Almeida, a 25-year-old banking technician, believes that “there is always a solution and democracy cannot be allowed to die at the ballot box, especially in these 50 years since April 25th”.
“If a young person wants to be happy, he cannot be, because it is becoming more and more complicated to organize his life, neither schedules nor salaries allow young people to emancipate themselves and have a full life in accordance with what the Constitution of the Republic is”, said the banking technician.
For Afonso, a 26-year-old graphic designer, “it is urgent to increase salaries, especially because young people tend to have precarious professions with precarious employment” so that they can “live in peace and not always think that it would be better to emigrate”, he added.
“Despite the rain we remain here resilient, believing that through union unity we can achieve our objectives, better work and better wages”, he concluded.
PCP was present
João Oliveira from PCP, who joined the protest at Calçada do Combro, noted that the demonstration proves that young people are not “waiting for the Government, nor for majorities in the Assembly of the Republic, to fight for their rights and demand answers for improvement their living conditions”.
Welcoming the young people’s position, the deputy also said that the PCP is in solidarity with the demands presented by the protesters, adding that the party presented legislative initiatives aimed at increasing the minimum wage, resolving problems in health, housing, among others. .
In addition to the protest in Lisbon, the organization also scheduled a demonstration in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto district, for today.
These initiatives also aim to mark National Youth Day, which is celebrated this Thursday.
With Portuguese
Tags: fight continues companies street hundreds young people protesting wages Lisbon
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