The UGT national secretariat meets this Thursday, the 9th, to decide whether the trade union centre, led by Mário Mourão, will approve the proposed changes to labour legislation within the Social Concertation framework. The decision on a potential agreement is on the agenda for today's meeting, which includes UGT secretary-general Mário Mourão, president Lucinda Dâmaso, and 68 elected members. Following eight months of negotiations, the Minister of Labour, Rosário Palma Ramalho, has requested that social partners consult their internal bodies regarding the proposal, with a plenary Social Concertation meeting to be scheduled soon. The government has been meeting separately with the UGT and four business confederations, excluding the CGTP, which has criticised the process as undemocratic. The latest government proposal includes extending the duration of fixed-term and uncertain-term contracts, removing the mandatory reinstatement of workers in cases of unlawful dismissal, and reintroducing individual working hour banks, while dropping the simplification of dismissals for just cause.