The president of the Union Association of Police Professionals (ASPP/PSP) stated this Monday that the union structure will “initiate procedures” before the Constitutional Court and the political parties to discuss the right to strike in Portugal.
In statements to Lusa, after the clarification of the The Ministry of the Interior stated on Sunday night that the right to strike will not be discussed in the negotiations that will resume in January. Contrary to what the minister had admitted hours before, Paulo Santos highlighted that the list of demands has already been negotiated since June and includes the reinforcement of resources and the review of the remuneration table.
“We have to be mature to perform our duties and we have to be very responsible. In the first meeting, in fact, the right to strike was not included in the negotiation,” stated the ASPP leader, although he stressed that the issue “will naturally prevail” in the long-term discussion with the supervisory authority.
“I did not want to waste time in this foam of days that is the apparent incompatibility between the minister and the prime minister” which, according to Paulo Santos, led the ministry to issue a clarification, following the statements of Margarida Blasco after the ASPP/PSP congress that took place over the weekend in Lisbon.
“The minister’s statements were made at the end of the congress” after having attended a panel on the topic of the right to strike, with examples of police officers from other countries that have that possibility (the Netherlands) or other essential functions of the State, as is the case of doctors in Portugal and the opinion of the jurists who recommended the study of the topic.
“The right to strike is not prohibited by the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic and what exists is a common law restriction”said Paulo Santos.
For the ASPP, “the right to strike and the provision of a security service to the population are compatible,” a position shared by several analysts.
“I am not going to comment on the statement” from the Ministry that clarifies the government’s position, but “there is one thing I know: the minister showed an openness that is welcome,” said Paulo Santos.
After this debate, “it was important for the Prime Minister to understand that, sooner or later, we will have this right,” warned Paulo Santos.
For now, the ASPP/PSP decided to “welcome the challenge” posed by jurists in the congress to promote debate on the issue and will sensitize the “Constitutional Court and political parties” about the police strike.
At the end of the ASPP/PSP congress Margarida Blasco stated: “We are going to begin a series of reviews on January 6 and it is a point that can and will surely be on the table. At this point I am not going to say yes or no, because it will have to be subjected to a study,” when journalists asked her if she was willing to grant the police the right to strike.
However, hours later, a clarification from the Ministry of the Interior sent to the editorial staff stated that “the Government’s position is clear: in this dialogue labor representation and union rights can be discussed. But not the right to strike.”
Source: Observadora
