And this happens the day after the Prime Minister said, in the fortnightly debate, that “even the trade union movement, today, does not have the degree of worker representation that it so often claims”.
“And I say this is not to underestimate or devalue it. It is just so that it is not said, it is not used in a way that, in my opinion, this way of speaking on behalf of workers is abusive. It is like those who speak on behalf of the Portuguese and then have a seat or three seats in the Assembly of the Republic”, said Luís Montenegro, in a criticism of the general secretary of the PCP, Paulo Raimundo.
In the space of 38 years, from the 1988 general strike until now, the decline in the CGTP’s representation has been notable, following the consistent drop in the unionization rate in Portugal and also in the vote for the party that gives it the most strength, the PCP. It is illustrative that intersindical has grown from more than 200 affiliated unions in 1990 to the current 79. Less than half. The number of union members, close to 800 thousand at the beginning of the 90s, has increased to around 563 thousand today.
With fewer and fewer members, supported by a party with less and less parliamentary representation and popular vote, ostracized from the negotiating table, CGTP is left with street actions to prove its life.
The challenge to the ongoing labor reform will not be the CGTP’s last great struggle, but it could be a landmark moment in the history of the Central Sindical, especially because there is no certainty that, currently, it can organize alone the same level of challenge that it promoted during the CGTP program. troikafrom 2011 to 2015.
Regardless of whether the negotiations with the bosses and the Government reach a successful conclusion or not, next May 1st – and the more than certain demonstrations that will be associated with it – could provide the answer to the “make or break” moment of the CGTP.
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