Paulo Seco, MP from Chega, stated at a conference organized by Jornal Económico at AIP - Associação Industrial Portuguesa that labor reform remains necessary, but considered that the debate will be incomplete if not accompanied by a reduction in the fiscal and contribution burden on companies and workers. The MP defended that the cost of labor is asphyxiating companies and blocking wage increases, noting that the employer contribution to Social Security represents 23.75%.
In his speech, Paulo Seco criticized the political conduct of the process by the Government, considering that it started "the wrong way round", by presenting too divisive proposals before hearing political parties. The MP guaranteed that Chega was available to negotiate from the beginning, but considered that political dialogue arrived too late and that CGTP was excluded from the negotiation process in a revealing way of a problem in how the process was conducted.
The MP cited the evolution of the minimum wage, which reached 930 euros, as an example to show that incomes have not kept pace with families' needs, especially due to the increase in the cost of living, particularly in Lisbon. Paulo Seco defended that companies and workers should be placed on the same side of the equation and that labor reform must advance integrated into a broader change that includes fiscal review and the reduction of the Single Social Rate.
Despite the criticisms, the MP rejected the idea that labor reform is definitively closed, considering that the solution will have to go through an understanding between different political forces. "Not even marriages last forever", he stated, to illustrate the need for compromise in negotiations, defending that the discussion should return to the table, possibly within the scope of the next State Budget.
