We are saying it loudly and clearly: the labour package proposed by the PSD/CDS government in Portugal is a direct attack on workers and a rapid return to the troika-era model that caused so much damage to the country.

That is why we fully support the general strike on December 11 and call on workers, students, and precarious workers to join this collective response to stop a historic rollback of labour rights.

The changes to the Labour Code deepen the reality of a country where more than a million people already live in precarious conditions, and where being young still too often means short-term contracts, low wages, and no secure future.

Extending fixed-term contracts, reintroducing individual time banks, and weakening restrictions on outsourcing clearly show where the government wants to push the country: more precariousness, more instability, less protection, and less power for those who work.

Even after the revised version sent to UGT – which included 27 changes presented as “concessions” but barely touching the essentials – it became clear that the logic of the package remains intact. Most of the measures are designed to shift risk onto workers while keeping decision-making power concentrated at the top.

We have a different vision for the world of work. We have always defended the idea that democracy cannot stop at the factory door. We want more security, more equality, less precariousness, and an economy that serves people and the planet.

One of our core proposals is the principle “one worker, one share” – a model in which every worker has a stake and a real voice in the company where they work. This is not just an economic mechanism, but a way to redistribute power, strengthen rights, and prevent crucial decisions from being made without – or against – those who create value every day.

We are also building, together with movements and organisations across Europe, a network that connects local and national struggles, sharing experiences, strengthening mobilisation, and creating a common space for action where labour rights and dignity at work are priorities, regardless of the country in which each person works.

We reject the idea that precarious work is inevitable. We reject the constant blackmail that turns entire lives into cycles of uncertainty. And we reject a labour package that tries to normalise all of this as “progress”.

On December 11, we have an opportunity to show that we will not accept this imposed future. There is a majority in the country that refuses to live at the mercy of the next contract, the next cut, or the next arbitrary decision. The future of work cannot be decided without us – and certainly not against us.

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