The initiative was announced by the general secretary of the trade union, Tiago Oliveira, at a press conference after the meeting of the Executive Committee at the inter-union headquarters in Lisbon.

Tiago Oliveira said that this week of struggle, decided by the National Council held last Thursday, will have the general motto "increase wages, guarantee rights, combat exploitation and inequalities", and that the objective is to converge these days the holding of plenary sessions, forums, rallies and strikes in the most varied sectors and throughout the country.

Asked whether this week of struggle is a prelude to the calling of a general strike, the general secretary of the CGTP said that the actions of struggle are always seen "case by case, moment by moment", also because the holding of a strike implies sacrifice for the workers, but stressed that, "depending on the Government's measures, the response will always be given".

Tiago Oliveira said that this week of struggle was called after an assessment of the political situation that "is marked by the degradation of working conditions" and wages, with workers having more difficulty in coping with the cost of living.

This analysis, he said, also revealed the willingness of workers to start the "concrete struggle for the valorization" of their wages and rights, pointing out as an example the adherence to the day of struggle called by the Common Front of public administration unions held on May 17 and the various sectoral strikes that are taking place or will take place in the coming days.

According to the union leader, the week of June 20-27 will be a period in which "workers will assume" their "struggle for better living conditions", indicating that public forums are also planned throughout the week in all districts of the country.

The resolution approved by the National Council of the CGTP emphasizes the need for better wages, combating precariousness, fighting for the maintenance of rights and for effective collective bargaining and against the deregulation of working hours.

The CGTP defends the increase of the national minimum wage to 1,000 euros this year, the setting of 35 hours as the maximum weekly working limit, as well as wage increases of 15% with a minimum of 150 euros.

Asked about the criticism from the unionist current of the Intersindical which, in a statement released today, stated that the resolution of the National Council was approved without any proposal of its own, since the various proposals presented "were rejected by the unionists of the Union Current of the PCP", Tiago Oliveira refuted them, stressing that the proposals were "all worked on" by listening to the collective, which consists of 147 members.

"When we enter this house we enter the CGTP, we enter a collective", he said, rejecting the criticism of being close to the PCP made by the socialist current of the Inter.

"We are the CGTP Intersindical Nacional, we are not a political party. We have leaders, we have union delegates in each company and workplace. It is in the collective that we discuss", stressed the leader of the CGTP.

[News updated at 8:40 pm]

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