Lisbon, March 12, 2026 (Lusa) - Lusa union representatives dared the Communications Regulatory Authority (ERC) on Thursday to take a position on the government's revision of the agency's statutes during a demonstration by company employees.
Susana Venceslau, union delegate for the Journalists' Union (SJ), stated that the restructuring of the company and the revision of the statutes conflict with what is defined in European regulations on freedom of the press and said that "it is urgent that the regulator, the ERC, comment on what is happening at Lusa".
Around a hundred people attended the demonstration in front of the government headquarters at Campus XXI, chanting slogans such as "the news department should not go to the commission" and "autonomy yes, merger no".
The demonstrators also carried posters and banners saying "Lusa is fighting" and "destroying Lusa is attacking democracy".
At the Porto branch, Lusa employees demonstrated outside the company's premises.
Susana Venceslau also stated that union representatives will "make a formal presentation to the ERC and also to the Ombudsman" and intend to "continue working with European bodies, namely with the European Commission's representation in Portugal."
The secretary-general of the CGTP, Tiago Oliveira, who was present at the demonstration, stated that "the restructuring and amendment of Lusa's statutes (...) were carried out in violation of the unions' right to consultation".
This is "yet another example of the selectivity of the choice of whom to discuss with and the government's promiscuity with the interests of large economic groups", he added.
In front of the Government headquarters, MPs from Livre, BE, and PCP were also present, as were representatives from UGT and other trade unions and workers' committees, such as RTP.
At issue are the company's restructuring process, the new governance model, the possible move of its headquarters to the RTP premises and the negotiation of the list of demands, which raise "serious concerns among workers about the future of Lusa" and working conditions.
AJR (ALU) // EA
Lusa/fim
