General Confederation of Portuguese Workers

The General Confederation of Portuguese Workers – National Intersindical (CGTP-IN) (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses – National Intersindical in Portuguese) is the main union center of Portugal, founded on October 1, 1970 in Lisbon.

The CGTP is a member of the European Trade Union Confederation. It was born with the objective of integrating the entire union movement into a single center and has always been greatly influenced by the Portuguese Communist Party. Its main leaders and its current general secretary are members of that political party. It currently has about 800,000 members.

History

From the foundation to the Congress of All Unions

October 1, 1970 is the official date of the founding of the CGTP-IN. The leaderships of the National Union of Cashiers of the District of Lisbon, of the National Union of Industrial Personnel of the District of Lisbon, of the National Union of Technicians and Metalworkers of the District of Lisbon and of the Union of Bank Employees of the District of Lisbon invite on September 29 to other union leaderships to “appear in a work session to study some aspects of union life whose discussion seems of greater opportunity to them.” The agenda proposed for the first inter-union meeting reflects a conception of unionism that does not separate the resolution of workers' problems from the fight for fundamental democratic rights and freedoms, suppressed under the then current dictatorship founded by Oliveira Salazar. Among the “greater opportunity” issues that were proposed for study were Decree-Law No. 49 212 (collective agreements), work hours, censorship and freedom of assembly. On the 11th of the same month, the first Inter-Union Meeting was held in Lisbon with the presence of 13 union leaderships. Thus began the movement of inter-union meetings. On March 21, 1971, the Basic Program of the Intersindical was approved, a document that vindicates freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike.

On April 25, 1974, the Armed Forces Movement overthrew the fascist dictatorship and the Carnation Revolution began. From the first hour, the Intersindical expresses its support and leads the process of democratization and social achievements, through the dismissal of the corporate directorates of the “national unions” of the dictatorial regime and the election of new directorates by the workers. The corporate apparatus ended up being dismantled in a few days. On May 1, the International Day of Free Workers is celebrated, organized by the Intersindical, which constituted the largest mass demonstration in the history of Portugal and was the unequivocal expression of the power of mobilization that had been gained and the adhesion of the working class to the revolutionary process that began on April 25. On May 27, a national minimum wage was instituted for the first time in the country, at 3,300 escudos, which would benefit more than 50% of Portuguese workers. The right to strike and freedom of association are already exercised in practice.

On March 11, 1975, the Intersindical supported the measures taken by the Council of the Revolution: the nationalization of banking and insurance; and later of several strategic industrial sectors, as well as agrarian reform. On April 30, after large demonstrations, the law is published that enshrines the union unity advocated by the Intersindical and union freedoms. On June 25-27, the 1st Intersindical Congress is held with the participation of 159 unions, approving its first statutes and action program. It is consolidated with the vocation to form the single union center of the Portuguese labor movement.

Congress of All Unions

In 1977, on January 27-30, the Congress of All Trade Unions was held in Lisbon, attended by 1,147 delegates, representing 272 unions, 13 federations and 17 unions. “Despite the alteration of the correlation of forces due to the events of November 25” – the conclusions of the Congress affirm – “the Constitution has come to institutionalize the democratic State in transition towards the socialism”. The Second Congress was the great congress of unity and the consolidation of the CGTP-IN as the great unitary confederation of Portuguese workers. However, the sectors closest to the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party split in 1978 under communist influence, founding the second Portuguese trade union center, the General Union of Workers (UGT).

Structure

The CGTP-IN is made up of the union associations affiliated to it that carry out their activity in the national territory of Portugal. The union associations that constitute it are the unions, the federations and the unions.

Address

The bodies of the CGTP are:

• Congress.
• The Trade Union Plenary.
• The National Council: 147 members elected every four years by Congress. It is up to him to direct and coordinate the activities of the CGTP between congresses, to choose and dismiss the secretary-general and to choose and dismiss the Executive Committee or the Secretariat.
• Executive Committee of the CN.
• CN Secretariat.
• Fiscal Council (independent financial control and statutory guarantees).

The CGTP-IN defines itself as “a class, unitary, democratic, independent and mass union organization, which has its roots and bases its principles on the glorious traditions of class organization and struggle. worker and Portuguese workers.”

Specific organizations

Within the scope of the CGTP-IN there are the following organizations, with their own specific bodies:

• Interjovem – Organization of young workers, constituted by young trade union cadres.
• Inter-reformed – Organization of retirees and pensioners, constituted by retired union cadres.
• Commission for Equality between Women and Men – organization for the promotion of equal opportunities for women and men, constituted by trade union cadres representing the trade union associations of sector and region and by members of the National Council.

Federations

• Federation of Food Unions, Beverages, Hostelry and Tourism of Portugal – FESAHT.
• Portuguese Federation of Construction, Ceramic and Glass Trade Unions – FEVICCOM.
• Portuguese Federation of Trade Unions, Offices and Services – FEPCES.
• Federation of Workers' Unions of Electrical Industries of Portugal – FSTIEP.
• National Federation of Public Service Unions – FNSFP.
• Federation of the Unions of the Sea – WSF.
• National Federation of Doctors – FENAM.
• Inter-union Federation of Metallurgy, Metalmechanics, Mines, Chemistry, Pharmaceuticals, Oil and Gas – FEQUIMETAL.
• Federation of Fisheries Sector Trade Unions – FSSP.
• National Federation of Teachers – FENPROF.
• Federation of Textile, Footwear and Piel Workers of Portugal – FESETE.
• Federation of Transport Unions – FESTRU.