The much-contested “Work XXI”, which was conveniently out of the spotlight during the municipal campaign period, is now back on the agenda and for the worst reasons. This week we learned that the government wants to move forward with changes to labor legislation even without an agreement in social consultation. It’s no wonder we only now found out about it. Last week would have been damaging to the electoral result in the local elections of the parties that support the government, given the visible level of protest that this “Job XXI” finds not only in the unions but also among so many people, families and associations who, organically, organized demonstrations against this government proposal, which is an attack on family rights.
I already said it here a few weeks ago: this labor package is a huge step backwards. Instead of taking advantage of technological developments to improve employment, guarantee more motivating work, and allow for reduced working hours, this package increases precariousness and deregulates working hours. Instead of making use of scientific knowledge that tells us how painful shift work is and how important family time is – particularly in the first years of children’s lives – this package makes it more difficult to refuse to work out of hours and does not even open the door to increasing personal and family time. Instead of following the World Health Organization’s recommendations regarding the promotion of breastfeeding, this package does not guarantee the conditions for exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months and, worse, attacks women who breastfeed. It is a setback camouflaged by the acronym XXI.
And despite all the opposition, the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security wants to move forward with this package, against everything and against everyone. But any change to labor legislation will have to go through parliament. And at that point we will see how the process will progress. This is because the government’s drive to move forward with legislation that is not at all consensual can be stopped by the parties in the Assembly of the Republic. In fact, it has to be stopped – this is the obligation of any party that claims to be a friend of families, of any party that claims to defend the quality of life of all people, of any party that knows that the social contract is central to the balance of our society. We will see how the various parties in the Assembly of the Republic will position themselves in relation to this labor package. One thing is certain: it is not with secret agreements or “demanding abstentions” that workers, children and families will be protected in the Assembly of the Republic. It is rather with a clear rejection of this setback of “Work XXI” that this minority government wants to impose.
Parliamentary leader of Livre