Latest news and stories about collective bargaining in Portugal for expats and residents.
The UGT has submitted a detailed counterproposal for the revision of labour laws, highlighting key 'red lines' on various issues including hours banks, fixed-term contracts, and collective bargaining. The union asserts that the current proposals are unacceptable and outlines its stance on critical topics such as dismissals, outsourcing, and union activities within companies.
The secretary-general of the UGT challenged the prime minister this Saturday to negotiate the salary appreciation agreement within the Social Concertation and warned that any change to labour legislation must strengthen collective bargaining.
Collective labour agreements are all concluded within specific realities, but then crystallise over time while the world around them moves forward. As the years pass, the national minimum wage ends up exceeding the negotiated salary scales themselves, and substantial changes introduced by law in the meantime are simply ignored. But the...
The union states that the bad faith in negotiations shown by employers' associations over the last year led to this request for state mediation, which was submitted to the Directorate-General for Employment.
The union structure states that “the bad faith in negotiations demonstrated by employers' associations over the last year led to this request for state mediation, submitted to the Directorate-General for Employment and Labour Relations (DGERT).”
The union does not accept that collective bargaining be reduced to a 'mere formality'. It demands that negotiations take place at a 'dedicated table' and threatens to report the matter to the Attorney General's Office if the Government violates its duties of good faith.
The report indicates a decline in collective bargaining activity across Portugal in the previous year, contrasting with the trends observed in the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira.
The three representative structures for the workers argue that the administration could have negotiated a new agreement without terminating the current one and accuse them of creating pressure on the negotiation process.
The Porto Public Transport Society has reached an agreement with the five union structures within the scope of the 2026 negotiation process, the company announced, having already applied a 57-euro increase to workers in April. In a statement, STCP clarifies that, within the scope of the collective labour negotiation process for 2026, ...
The Left Bloc (BE) questioned Leitão Amaro regarding why negotiations only began after the termination of the Company Agreement by Lusa, highlighting the weakening of collective bargaining.
The three unions representing Lusa workers say that a new agreement could take several years to negotiate, given the great complexity of the process, as it involves various labour matters.
Workers accuse the confederation of revising the collective labour agreement behind the backs of unions affiliated with the CGTP.
Dramatisation and negotiation efforts defined the day as the Government, employers, and the UGT returned to the table in a final attempt to reach a labour reform agreement. Following a four-hour meeting, partners reported greater flexibility and significant progress. While a tripartite deal remains uncertain, it would be a major breakthrough for a project once considered dead, with António José Seguro credited for the mediation. While the President of the Republic encouraged the UGT to remain in negotiations, the CGTP staged a protest outside the Ministry of Labour, claiming their exclusion violates the Constitution. The Minister of Labour argued that the CGTP sidelined itself by refusing to negotiate unless the draft was scrapped. Meanwhile, progress was made on key issues, including potential improvements to overtime pay, extending the minimum duration of fixed-term contracts to one year, and clarifying rules on outsourcing following collective redundancies.
The CGTP trade union confederation has requested an urgent meeting with President António José Seguro to express its deep concern over the government's proposed labour reforms. The union argues that the measures represent an attack on workers' rights, facilitate dismissals, and undermine collective bargaining. While the government seeks to reach an agreement with social partners, the CGTP claims it has been excluded from the negotiation process, which it describes as a violation of constitutional rights. Meanwhile, business confederations and the UGT union remain divided on the proposed changes, as the President calls for a balanced solution.
Freight drivers and industry associations have reached an agreement on the revision of the collective labour agreement (CCTV), which will be signed this Tuesday, the unions representing these professionals announced.
The Works Council and the management of Volkswagen Autoeuropa have reached a provisional labour agreement, effective until June 2027, which includes pay increases with a minimum of €100 and the strengthening of social benefits.
The president of ANSG says the law on associational rights has not been revised for 21 years and urges a review that prioritises collective bargaining and the creation of GNR trade unions.
'It's a long proposal. We now have to convene the union's governing bodies to revise the proposal so it can be submitted to the Government,' said Sérgio Monte.
FESAP and STE, public-sector unions that today signed the agreement with the Government to improve workers' conditions, highlighted the 'predictability' it provides while saying they remain willing to continue negotiating.
The Government will sign on Wednesday with public service unions the 2026–2029 Multi-year Agreement to enhance the status and conditions of public administration workers, the executive announced today.
The plenary will be held in the Sitava auditorium in Olivais and will also be used for the unions to present the negotiation proposal for pay scales sent on 30 December.
The meeting is expected to be attended by Fnam's new president, André Gomes. Doctors' pay and working conditions will be topics for discussion.
The minister said the CGTP trade union confederation withdrew itself from negotiations over the proposed labour reform.
Portugal's main trade union confederation, CGTP, says it does not rule out calling another strike over the labour package.
Employers and unions in the restaurant and hotel sectors have agreed average pay rises of around 5% to take effect in 2026.
João Proença, former leader of UGT, criticises the undermining of collective bargaining and states that the project is “100% unbalanced” because it “threatens job security” and “increases precariousness.”
