Portugal‘s Labor Reform: โคGovernment Enters Negotiations Without “Redโข Lines,” Announces New Elderly Care โPilot Program
Leiria, Portugal – The Portuguese government isโ approaching upcoming negotiations on โsignificant labor โขlaw reforms with an openโฃ mind, according to Minister โฃof โขLabor and โขSocial security, Rosario Palma Ramalho.โค Speaking on Monday, the Minister โstated โthe government has not established any non-negotiable demands – or โฃ”red lines” – and hopes oppositionโ partiesโข will adopt a similarly flexible approach.
The proposed reforms,unveiled in July,represent a extensive โฃoverhaul of portugal’s Labor Code,encompassing over โ100 changes. Ramalho โขexpressed confidenceโ in the negotiation process,โข citing โขa positive working relationship with social partners over the past year and a half.
“The government has not placed any red line, but also hopes that the opposition will not do it,โ because aโ constructive dialogโค isโ without red lines,” she stated during a visit to theโข groundbreaking ceremony forโ a new daycare center at the Santo Andrรฉ Hospitalโ in โLeiria.
The core โaim of the reformsโค is to โaddress Portugal’s economic challenges, specifically a noted deficit in competitiveness and productivity, coupled โคwith persistently low wages. While seeking toโข boost economic performance through โขincreased versatility in some labor regulations, โthe government โคinsists โthe proposalsโข also prioritize and strengthen workers’ rights, promote collective bargaining, and ensure a balanced approach to the right to โคstrike, particularly concerning essential โคsocial โservices.
“Everything is on the table,” ramalho affirmed,โค “as long as theโ government maintains its guiding principle of โflexibility within the existing laborโค framework.” โ She believes the reforms offer โa pathway toโข raise wages and improve Portugal’s economic standing.
New โค”Hospital at Home” Pilot Program for Seniors
alongside the labor reform discussion, minister Ramalho announced a new pilotโข program aimed at improving care for the elderly. Dubbedโฃ “Social Supportโค More Health,” the initiative โขseeks to provide integrated โhome support, allowing seniors โคto โremain in โฃtheir own homes and receive the care they need, rather thanโ relying on institutionalized care.
Developed in collaboration withโค the Ministry โคof Health, the program aims to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and free up hospital beds. โฃโ Ramalho emphasized that โwhileโ residential care facilities (erpis) remain crucial, they are not always the best solution for elderly individuals who prefer to remain in familiar