CGTP (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses – Intersindical Nacional) regularly publishes studies and proposals on labor market conditions, wages, working time, and employment rights. These reports are used to support the union confederation's negotiating positions with the government and employers.

CGTP studies typically cover topics such as minimum wage adequacy, working hours reform, collective bargaining trends, social security sustainability, and the impact of proposed labor law changes on workers. The confederation uses this research to advocate for positions in tripartite social dialogue (Concertação Social) alongside the UGT union confederation and employer groups.

These publications are significant because they often shape public debate ahead of labor reforms and can influence the pace and direction of legislative changes.

The Portuguese Nurses' Union (Sindicato dos Enfermeiros Portugueses) is the main trade union representing nurses in Portugal. It announced a strike for 20 March 2026, which can disrupt hospital routines and appointments in the public health service, so those relying on public care should check services and plan accordingly.

Primary care (Cuidados de Saúde Primários) is the first level of Portugal's health system — the network of health centers (centros de saúde) and family health units (Unidades de Saúde Familiar, USF) that provide general practice consultations, nursing care, vaccinations, chronic disease management, preventive screening, and referrals to specialist care.

Every resident registered with the SNS (Serviço Nacional de Saúde) is entitled to a family doctor (médico de família), though in practice over a million people lack an assigned GP due to doctor shortages. The strength of primary care directly affects hospital pressure — when health centers are understaffed or closed, patients turn to hospital emergency departments, increasing waiting times.

Portugal has been expanding USF coverage and recruiting more GPs, but access remains uneven, particularly in rural inland areas and some Lisbon suburbs.

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.