About 50 unionized workers gathered today in front of Quinta Vigia, to demand better wages and the protection of their right to strike.
Organized by USAM – União dos Sindicatos da Madeira – the protest followed a meeting at the Hospitality Union headquarters, where a motion was approved and later delivered to President Miguel Albuquerque. The motion calls for a wage increase of at least 15%, no less than 150 euros, a regional minimum wage rise of 8%, and a 35-hour workweek for all.
Union Leader Warns of Threat to Workers' Rights
Tiago Oliveira, general secretary of CGTP-IN, addressed the crowd and condemned proposed national changes to strike laws.
The attack on the right to strike is an attack on April, an attack on workers' rights
Tiago Oliveira, general secretary of CGTP-IN
Referring to Portugal’s past, Oliveira added:
We lived through 48 years of fascist dictatorship, 48 years in which workers were not allowed to strike, 48 years in which workers were denied the right to protest, 48 years in which those who wanted and used the struggle as a way to pursue the life they wanted risked torture and prison.
Workers Say Economic Growth Hasn’t Reached Them
Alexandre Fernandes, USAM coordinator, criticized the regional government’s message of prosperity.
As much as the Regional Government boasts about the great economic moment the Region is experiencing, about all the records being broken daily, workers do not feel that economic strength. We still face hardship, we still face job insecurity, we still feel that our most basic needs are not being met.
No Response from Government, Say Protesters
Fernandes said repeated attempts to open dialogue have gone unanswered.
Once again, and despite the countless times we’ve been here, unfortunately we have not been heard. Not even a simple response has been given to us, but that won’t stop us from continuing to fight.
Source: Diário de Notícias da Madeira
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