Rosa Sousa Elected President of Trade Union Confederation UGT
Social Democrat Rosa Sousa has been elected president of the General Union of Workers (União Geral de Trabalhadores or UGT), succeeding Lucinda Dâmaso, who had led the organization since 2013. Sousa secured 413 votes at the confederation's 15th congress in Figueira da Foz, where delegates also re-elected Mário Mourão as secretary-general. The congress noted that UGT currently represents about 430,000 affiliated workers across 50 unions, down by 5,000 members since 2022.
The General Union of Workers (UGT – União Geral de Trabalhadores) is one of Portugal’s two main national trade union confederations. Founded in Lisbon on 28 October 1978, it was created as a social‑democratic alternative to the more communist‑aligned CGTP after the 1974 Revolution, grouping unions close to the Socialist Party and moderate centre‑right currents.
UGT represents around 400,000 workers and is affiliated to the European Trade Union Confederation and International Trade Union Confederation, giving Portuguese labour a voice at EU and global level. Its principles stress union independence from the state, employers, churches and parties, internal democracy and active worker participation.
Historically, UGT’s hallmark has been “propositive” social dialogue: it is usually more willing than CGTP to sign tripartite agreements on wages, labour law and social policy with governments and employers, shaping minimum wage increases, working‑time rules and social protection reforms. This makes UGT a key centrist actor in Portugal’s industrial relations, often mediating between left and right while defending collective bargaining and incremental improvements to labour rights.
Rosa Sousa is a Portuguese trade unionist affiliated with the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata). She was elected president of the General Workers' Union (União Geral de Trabalhadores or UGT) for a four-year term, succeeding Lucinda Dâmaso, who held the post since 2013. The UGT is one of Portugal's two main national labor confederations, representing workers in tripartite wage and labor policy negotiations with the government and employers.
