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Employers' confederations accuse UGT of bad faith

Sunday, 12 April 2026AI summary
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Employers' confederations accuse UGT of bad faith
Photo: RTP Notícias

Four employers' confederations have accused the General Workers' Union (União Geral de Trabalhadores or UGT) of acting in bad faith during labour law negotiations. The confederations claim the union rejected a proposal based on an outdated version of the text, effectively breaking consensus. The employers expressed profound disappointment, stating that the UGT's actions have compromised the negotiation process.

Update: Labour law negotiations move to Social Concertation

Minister of Labour Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho has summoned the Standing Committee for Social Dialogue (Comissão Permanente da Concertação Social or CPCS) for a meeting this Thursday, April 16. While the minister stated that negotiations are in the final stretch, she warned that if an agreement is not reached, the process will proceed to Parliament.

Context & Explainers

What is UGT?

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.

  • Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security (2024–present)
  • Party: Independent (appointed by AD government)
  • Background: Professor of Labour Law, University of Lisbon

Rosário Maria Ribeiro da Costa Palma Ramalho is a distinguished labor law academic who was appointed Minister of Labour in the XXV Constitutional Government under Luís Montenegro. She is one of Portugal's leading experts on employment law, having authored major textbooks and legal commentaries on the Portuguese Labour Code.

As minister, she leads negotiations with trade unions (CGTP, UGT) and employer confederations on labor reform, including changes to dismissal rules, working time flexibility, and collective bargaining. Her academic background gives her unusual technical authority in a portfolio that is typically politically charged.

The Standing Committee for Social Dialogue (Comissão Permanente de Concertação Social or CPCS) is a forum where the government, trade unions, and employer associations negotiate labor policies and social issues. It serves as a primary mechanism for reaching national agreements on topics like minimum wage adjustments and labor law reforms.

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