Socialist leader consults 20 economists for ‘alternative’ to government’s labour reform

A little like the time, over 10 years ago, when PS Socialist leader António Costa asked 12 economists to come up with a blueprint for a new Socialist government, current leader, José Luís Carneiro, is bringing together 20 economists this month, to come up with “an ethical, internal masterplan” for an alternative to the government’s pilloried labour reform.

A political leader that has endlessly denounced the reform as a ‘counter-reform’ (for the way it favours employers, over employees), Carneiro is asking the economists to work on proposals for the increased competitiveness/ productivity of the economy, “in dialogue with social partners”.

PS national secretary Fátima Fonseca outlined the initiative yesterday, saying her party is seeking a strategy that does all the right things for the economy, but that also promotes wage convergence and grassroots support.

The current package, proposed by the government – and over which there have already been two general strikes – simply “attacks families, young people, women and the most vulnerable”, she said.

The PS plan for an economists’ think-tank was to have been announced last month – but the day set by José Luís Carneiro, coincided with mass PJ swoops on PS local government entities, and the party’s base, in Lisbon – so the ‘announcement’ was postponed until the day of the general strike – which the party has already described as “a response to the executive’s style of governance”.

Mr Carneiro, very much like union leaders who took part in yesterday’s strike, accused the government of “stubbornness, inflexibility and arrogance” in the way it has handled the whole business of labour reform, along with an “unacceptable disrespect for social dialogue”.

It is just a matter of understanding now whether the economists’ think-tank will have proposed its measures by the time the labour reform bill comes up for discussion in parliament (on June 18) – or whether the blueprint will only be presented once the bill has indelibly ‘bitten the dust’.

Source material: Observador

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.