The CT highlights the need to distinguish harassment from 'other related concepts', such as the 'legitimate exercise of hierarchical and disciplinary power, stress, burnout, and workplace conflict'.
Over 3,400 inspection requests for harassment and 20 administrative offences in 2025
Saturday, 18 April 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
A collective redundancy (despedimento coletivo) is a legally regulated mass‑layoff process in Portugal that requires employer notification and consultation with worker representatives and labour authorities, and often includes social measures or redeployment plans. For workers and local communities—such as the 163 employees affected at Yazaki’s Ovar factory—this process signals significant job losses that may trigger unemployment support and labour‑market measures, so employees should seek information from their union and the labour authority (ACT).
Moral harassment (Portuguese: assédio moral) is repeated psychological or verbal mistreatment at work, such as humiliation, isolation, persistent unfair criticism or threats that harm a worker's dignity or health. It is prohibited under Portuguese labour law and victims can file complaints with the ACT or bring civil claims for sanctions and compensation.
The Authority for Working Conditions (Autoridade para as Condições do Trabalho or ACT) is Portugal's labour inspection body that investigates workplace complaints, enforces labour laws, and can impose fines or other sanctions. The ACT recently registered 3,480 complaints of moral and sexual harassment but issued only 20 sanctions, a gap that affects workers seeking enforcement.
