"For the first time since November 1987, the year in which the CGTP-IN took its place in the Permanent Commission for Social Concertation (CPCS), the socialist unionists of the CGTP-IN did not participate in the meeting held today by this tripartite body for social dialogue", stressed the socialist wing of the CGTP, in a statement sent to the media.

These unionists argued that the organisation "does not reflect the thinking of all its political and ideological components that exist and interact" and "excludes the thinking of socialist workers, independents and other political and ideological currents", since the Executive Committee elected at the 15th Congress, on 23 and 24 February, is "amputated from a broad representation of the world of work".

The socialist unionists point out that the Executive Committee does not include unionists from all political and ideological currents "of the left that exist, coexist and intervene in the workplace, in particular, the socialist unionists", who have actively participated in the Executive Committee of the CGTP since the Congress of All Trade Unions, held in January 1977.

At the inter-union congress held on 23 and 24 February, in Seixal, the new National Council of the CGTP was elected (with 147 members) which in turn elected the new Secretary-General, Tiago Oliveira, and also the Executive Committee, composed of 29 members, but the five socialist unionists refused to join this body whose majority current is that of the PCP, leaving the places vacant.

In a statement sent on 6 March, the socialist wing recalled that in the CGTP-IN "unionists from the political and ideological currents of the PCP, PS, BASE-FUT, BE, progressive Catholics and independents coexist dialectically in the union bodies, although the political and ideological current of the BE has never participated in the Executive Committee".

"However, in recent years we have witnessed an attempt to reduce the influence of minority political and ideological currents", pointed out the socialist unionists.

In the statement, the socialist wing stated that it nevertheless had "full availability" to resolve the situation so that the CGTP-IN "emerges from this process more cohesive and stronger, to combat the reactionary projects of the right and far right, embodied by the PSD, IL and Chega".

In an interview with Lusa in March, the new leader of the CGTP, Tiago Oliveira, said that the issue in question should be overcome soon, rejecting the idea that there are rifts between the leaders of the union.

"There was a group of comrades who made this decision [not to join the Executive Committee] and what was said and what is being worked on is for everything to return to stability, to normalise, and I believe that this will be achieved as soon as possible", said Tiago Oliveira.

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