Lisbon, July 24, 2025 (Lusa) - Restrictions on outsourcing after dismissal, the possibility of buying holiday leave and minimum services on strike days are expected to be some of the main topics at Thursday's statutory tripartite talks between the Portuguese government, employers and unions.
The official agenda for the meeting has as its sole item ‘the monitoring of the implementation of the tripartite agreement on wage enhancement and economic growth 2025-2028: Chapter V - labour legislation’.
The meeting will be chaired, as usual, by the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, and will take place at the headquarters of the Economic and Social Council (CES) in the Palácio das Laranjeiras in Lisbon. It is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
In statements to Lusa, both the Portuguese Business Confederation (CIP) and the Portuguese Trade and Services Confederation (CCP) said they would ask the Government to revoke the rule on restrictions on outsourcing (hiring external labour) after redundancies, as they believe it has "no basis" and despite the Constitutional Court having assured, earlier this month that this rule is constitutional.
According to this amendment to the Labour Code, which came into force in 2023, "it is not permitted to resort to the acquisition of external services from a third party to meet needs that were met by a worker whose contract was terminated in the previous 12 months due to collective dismissal or dismissal due to the termination of the job".
The trade unions have already stated that they will fight ‘hard’ to maintain this rule and are focusing on wage enhancement and the repeal of the expiry of collective agreements.
Another of the many changes that the Government intends to introduce into labour law concerns the possibility for workers to choose whether they want to receive their holiday and Christmas bonuses in twelfths (i.e. as an addition in their 12 monthly salaries) or in the traditional way (i.e. two additional salaries), as well as "clarifying, reducing bureaucracy and simplifying" various schemes such as those for parenthood, remote working, organisation of working time, transfer of establishments, lay-offs and labour proceedings, according to the executive's programme.
JMF/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
