PCP leader challenges government to drop labour reform
The leader of the Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português or PCP), Paulo Raimundo, has challenged the government to withdraw its proposed labour reform to avoid a general strike scheduled for June 3rd. The General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses or CGTP) has indicated it may call off the strike if the government drops the proposal.
António Filipe is a politician from the PCP (Partido Comunista Português) who, in this story, acknowledged that his election results fell short and said the party would join forces to oppose what it called a 'serious threat to democracy'. His remarks indicate the PCP intends to be active in post-election alliances rather than withdrawing from national debates. Voters and those following left-wing politics should pay attention to his and the PCP's next moves.
The General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP – Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses) is Portugal’s largest trade-union confederation, grouping most unions in manufacturing, public services and many other sectors.
Founded clandestinely in 1970 as “Intersindical” under the dictatorship, it emerged publicly after the 1974 Carnation Revolution and was legalised in 1975. It has been central to virtually all major labour struggles since then, from defending collective bargaining and the 40‑hour week to leading general strikes against austerity and labour‑law rollbacks.
CGTP is historically close to the Portuguese Communist Party and has a class‑struggle, anti‑neoliberal profile, strongly critical of EU and government policies seen as undermining workers’ rights. It favours grassroots mobilisation and strikes over compromise, often refusing national social‑pact deals that the more centrist UGT is willing to sign.
In today’s Portugal, CGTP remains a key actor in wage bargaining, labour‑law debates and national protests; together with UGT it called the first joint general strike in years in December 2025, signalling its continuing capacity to organise mass action.
