PS, BE, PCP and PAN defend increased wages and better conditions for workers – Politics

PS, BE, PCP and PAN were present this Wednesday at the traditional 1st of May parade, in Lisbon, and defended salary increases and better conditions for workers.

BE coordinator, Mariana Mortágua, considered that workers face issues such as “low wages, long working hours, a lot of precariousness, many fixed-term contracts”.

“We want less working time, better wages and more stable living conditions, because in the end that’s all we’re looking for to have a better life and a better future”, he argued, considering that “the country becomes stronger, grows more, It is more equal if it is able to pay better wages, provide better working conditions, provide more job stability, but also fewer working hours”.

The BE leader highlighted some of her party’s proposals, namely the increase in the minimum wage to 900 euros and the implementation of the four-day work week and salary ranges.

Mariana Mortágua accused the Government of giving “contrary signals” and said that “there is no serious commitment to increasing the minimum wage, nor any proposal to increase average wages”.

On the occasion, the BE coordinator was also asked about the dismissal of the provider of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa and stated that the “exchange of chairs” does not solve “the country’s problems”, accusing the executive of “confusion after confusion” and still not having done anything concrete since taking office.

Also present at the march between Martim Moniz and Alameda D. Afonso Henriques, the general secretary of the PCP considered that this is “a great demonstration of strength”, in which workers demand “fair demands for a better life, for more wages , more rights, against precariousness, for decent working hours” and for more justice “in the distribution of wealth”.

The communist leader warned that the Government “does not have its hands free” and argued that those “who work every day are the ones who make the country work, are the ones who make the economy work, and deserve respect, appreciation and a life better and more salary”.

“It would be good for the Government, once and for all, to fulfill the promises it made to various professional sectors” and “stop submitting to the interests of others, namely Brussels, and submit to the interests of the majority”, stated Paulo Raimundo.

The head of the PS list for the European elections, Marta Temido, pointed out that May 1st is “a party, a celebration of work and the importance of work as a fundamental value in the structuring of societies”.

The deputy highlighted “the importance of work on the European agenda” and pointed out that candidates for the European Parliament have “a great responsibility in relation to a set of commitments, with an agenda of more dignified work, better wages, naturally, always with more jobs , but also with better living conditions for workers”.

“What Europe assumed and that Portugal translated into its national targets in relation to the employment rate, in relation to the rate of the adult population undergoing training that allows it to deal with the new challenges of the world of work, in relation to the reduction of poverty, These are challenges that are not just for paper”, said the candidate and PS leader.

Also asked about the Santa Casa provider, the former Minister of Health said that this process “raises concerns” and that it is necessary to wait for explanations from those involved in parliament “to understand what actually happened”.

The PAN spokesperson considered that it is necessary to “guarantee the dignity and appreciation of workers” and defended a “21st century agenda”, which is reflected in an “economy of happiness and well-being”.

The sole deputy of People-Animais-Natureza also said that it was “fundamental that negotiations be resumed regarding the valorization of various careers, such as nurses, teachers and security forces”, asking the Government to get out of “propaganda politics”.

Inês de Sousa Real also insisted on updating the IRS levels taking inflation into account, defending the need to “ease the tax burden, which is too heavy for workers”.