Portugal
Background information on industrial relations in Portugal
- 18 Nov 2011
Portugal: Unions set to strike over 2012 austerity budget planPlans for another stringent budget in Portugal have prompted unions to call for a general strike. Proposals by centre right coalition PSD-CDS for the 2012 budget are harsher than those requested by the IMF, the ECB and the EC. They include further cuts in public spending and social security, while capital profits remain almost untouched. Trade union confederations CGTP and UGT have called for a general strike on 24 November, on the eve of parliament’s final vote on the budget.
- 26 Sep 2011
Portugal: Representativeness of the European social partner organisations: Commerce – PortugalIn the Portuguese commerce sector the structure of employers’ associations is characterised by a sharp divide between numerous small and medium-sized associations belonging to the Confederation of Trade and Services (CCP) and medium and large retailers belonging to the Portuguese Association of Retail Companies (APED). The trade union camp is dominated by two unions (CESP and SITESE). Collective bargaining is dominated by many local multi-employer agreements and some sectoral multi-employer-agreements, with very high coverage.
- 12 Sep 2011
Portugal: Government’s first bill taxes Christmas allowanceIn its first bill, passed on 14 July 2011, Portugal’s centre-right coalition government outlines an ‘extraordinary’ surcharge to be imposed on personal income. The tax will hit the Christmas allowance, a highly sensitive payment seen as a necessary 13th monthly wage by many families. This measure was not envisaged in an agreement signed with the EU and IMF in May 2011. Trade unions have reacted strongly to the measure which they say penalises workers, particularly the low paid.
- 10 Aug 2011
Portugal: Government prepares labour reforms demanded by EC, ECB and IMFLabour reforms demanded by the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund are being prepared by the Portuguese government. Unemployment benefits, severance pay, individual dismissals, working-time flexibility, wage-setting and company-level agreements are the subject of change, with draft legislation expected to go before parliament in the first quarter 2012. The government has announced it will go further than asked.
- 05 Aug 2011
Portugal: Portugal: The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the banking sectorThe three regional UGT member unions (SBSI, SBN and SIBACE) organise the majority of the unionised workforce in banking and have a leading role in collective bargaining. Their hegemony is challenged by three unions linked to other confederations, namely SNQTB (USI), STEC (CGTP) and SINTAF (CGTP). In the employers’ camp there is one dominating association, the APB. The coverage of collective bargaining is almost 100%. There are approximately 1,000 companies in the sector that employ 70,000 workers, which corresponds to a 2% share of total employment. Collective agreements are negotiated and signed by individual companies or by groups of companies, not by the APB.
- 29 Jul 2011
Portugal: Portugal: EIRO CAR on ‘Helping young workers during the crisis: contributions by social partners and public authorities.’Portuguese young workers are particularly vulnerable in relation to unemployment and precarious work relations. Collective bargaining is at the beginning of a broader process of change and has not given a major contribution to help young workers during the crisis. The same applies to tripartite concertation after the rupture in negotiations about a Pact for Employment in 2010. The government’s employment strategy has a strong focus on education and vocational training, thus benefitting in particular young people. This policy has produced some notable results, but the crisis and the constraints of austerity pose multiple threats to the prospects of young people on the Portuguese labour market.
- 06 Jul 2011
Portugal: Trade unions against austerity plans in railwaysThe state budget 2011 includes a number of measures which impact on the publicly owned railway companies: cuts in employees’ gross monthly payments over €1,500 (including those due to overtime work, work on rest days and holidays), a measure encompassing all public sector workers; plans for restructuring which may include redundancies; and further privatisation of segments of the sector. Trade unions reacted strongly to these plans, in particular to cuts in wages.
- 15 Jun 2011
Portugal: Final Questionnaire for EIRO CAR on SMEs in the crisis: Employment, Industrial Relations and Local PartnershipThe evolution of employment, from 2007 to 2008, shows that the early impact of the crisis was observed only in small and micro companies, with a decrease of 3776 companies. The decline of employment in micro and small companies, by 0.57% and 0.71% respectively, represented a loss of 15246 jobs. The sectors more vulnerable were Manufacturing, Construction, and Wholesale and Retail trade. Since 2006 the government has been launching specific programmes targeting SMEs, to facilitate access to risk capital and credit, to help with exports, and to encourage qualification and internationalization of SMES, and supporting job creation and training. There is not a tradition of partnership and networking among micro and small companies in Portugal, despite the efforts made in recent years by business associations. Local partnership experiences are rare, although there is an increasing interest to promote them. Employee representation of different types increases in connection with the increase of the company size. There is some expression in medium size companies, but a very weak incidence in small and micro companies.
- 14 Jun 2011
Portugal: Portugal: Representativeness study of the European social partners organisations – Public administration sectorThe government of Prime Minister José Sócrates (2005–2009) stopped the long-term rise in the number of workers in public administration and began a broad process of restructuring and shrinking. Trade unions in the sector can be divided into four groups: the Frente Comum, the FESAP, the STE, and a large number of unions that represent small occupational groups and are not affiliated in any higher structure. Collective negotiations are concentrated in the hands of the Ministry of Finance and are a mix of de facto negotiations and consultation, with genuine collective barganing on some specific issues.
- 23 May 2011
Portugal: EC, ECB and IMF meet with social partners before setting bailout conditionsAfter three weeks of negotiations, the Prime Minister announced on 3 May 2011 that Portugal’s caretaker administration had reached an agreement with a mission from the EU, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund for a three-year €78 billion bailout. Before agreement was reached, trade union confederation UGT and employer confederation CIP demanded that the Agreement on Employment and Competitiveness signed on 22 March 2011 should still be honoured.
- 02 May 2011
Portugal: Deadlock over proposal on severance paySocial partners in Portugal have not yet reached an agreement over government proposals to reduce severance pay and to create a fund to finance it. The debate began in January at the Standing Commission for Social Concertation. Employer confederations think any reduction should apply to existing labour contracts, not just future ones. Employers also oppose the government’s idea that funding for the partial payment of severance should be exclusively financed by them.
- 21 Apr 2011
Portugal: Representativeness of the European social partner organisations: Education sector – PortugalThe aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the education sector in Portugal. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector’s industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining.
- 14 Feb 2011
Portugal: Portugal: Industrial Relations in the Health Care Sector (in particular the situation of nurses and care workers)Health care is dominated by the National Health Service (SNS), but there is growing private investment in the sector. In the trade union camp in the sector the nurses are the best organized group under the leadership of SEP. Other care workers are represented by several unions with very broad domains. There are numerous conflicts in industrial relations in the public health service, but negotiations produce some important positive results. The situation in private health care (non-profit and profit) is similar. There is no social Concertation on / in the sector.
- 28 Jan 2011
Portugal: Bank workers brought into public welfare schemeOn 20 October 2010, the Portuguese government, the country’s federation of trade unions for the financial sector (FEBASE) and the Portuguese Banking Association (APB) agreed to bring about 40,000 banking employees into the General Social Security Scheme (RGSS) so they no longer need claim private parenting and retirement benefits. The largest union, SBSI, opposed the agreement, after initially supporting it, but FEBASE and two smaller unions, SBC and SBN backed it.
- 20 Jan 2011
Portugal: Employment pact fails as UGT leaves negotiationsPortugal’s pact for employment has failed because of deep divisions between the government and the General Workers’ Union (UGT). Union leaders accused ministers of reneging on commitments on pensions and income policy when the government announced austerity measures affecting these, to be included in the 2011 budget. UGT announced it would withdraw from the pact negotiations one week after it said it would join in the general strike planned for 24 November 2010.
- 19 Jan 2011
Portugal: Portugal: EIRO CAR on “The effect of the Information and Consultation Directive on Industrial Relations in the EU Member States five years after its transposition”Despite of the lack of statistical data we have reasons to assume that trade union structures are the dominant form of workers’ representation at company level. The workers’ representatives are usually the active part in the I&C process, while employers tend to reduce it to the compliance with the minimum rights established by law. The impact of I&C seems to be very limited. Due to the lack of the employers’ interest in changing the situation, the non-participative pattern of work relations at company level will probably remain.
- 11 Jan 2011
Portugal: Portugal: EIRO Annual Review-2009Two events may be considered as the most important for industrial relations in 2009. One was the revision of the Labour Code, which came into force in February 2009. The new law opens the way to major changes, particularly in collective bargaining, where it caused an important shift in power relations, favouring the employers. In this context the number of collective agreements decreased in 2009. The other one was the election of the parliament in September 2009. The Socialist Party lost its absolute majority and PM José Sócrates formed a minority government. The new executive is designed to continue the reforms launched in the previous term, with some amendments, as for instance in education.