Chega demands written pledge to cut Portugal’s retirement age to 65

Chega leader André Ventura has said he will seek a written commitment from Prime Minister Luís Montenegro to lower Portugal’s retirement age to 65 by the end of the current legislature, raising the stakes ahead of key votes on the government’s labour law reforms.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Ventura said the issue was “non-negotiable” for his party and would form a central part of talks with Montenegro on Tuesday.

Chega wants the statutory retirement age reduced to 65, or alternatively to allow workers to retire once they have completed 40 years of social security contributions.

“We want this to be scheduled, defined and approved,” Ventura said, warning that the party’s support for the government’s proposed labour reforms could hinge on securing a formal agreement.

Asked whether Chega would maintain its threat to vote against the legislation if no deal is reached, Ventura stressed that pension reform remained a decisive issue.

“This is a central issue for us,” he said. “If it were not, I would not be placing it at the centre of this debate.”

The government’s labour reform package is due to be voted on in parliament on Friday. Montenegro’s centre-right minority administration needs support from opposition parties to secure passage of key legislation.

Ventura argued that without an agreement with Chega, “there will be no agreement at all”, dismissing suggestions that the government could postpone negotiations by sending the bill directly to committee stage without an initial vote.

Alongside changes to the retirement age, Chega has proposed restoring the legal minimum annual holiday entitlement to 25 days and extending the measure to public sector workers.

The party is also calling for an increase in paid parental leave to 270 days, including 180 days paid at 100% of salary, and a new 90-day bereavement leave entitlement following the death of a child.

Other proposals include enhanced protections against unjustified outsourcing, stronger compensation rights for unfair dismissal, mandatory shift allowances and a requirement that overtime “bank of hours” arrangements be agreed by both employers and workers.

Ventura also said he had detected “openness” from the PSD to abolishing lifetime political pensions.

Source: Eco/Lusa

Inês Lopes

Newspaper editor at The Portugal Resident