Country Rating: 3

  • Regular violation of rights

  • Government and/or companies are regularly interfering in collective labour rights or are failling to fully guarantee important aspects of these rights. There are deficiencies in laws and/or certain practices which make frequent violations possible.

The adjustment program promulgated by the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund led to end of automatic extension of sectoral collective agreements. Now an agreement can only be extended if the negotiating union represents at least 50 per cent of workers in the bargaining unit. This has led to a shift to enterprise level bargaining by work councils instead of union representatives. Collective bargaining coverage has shrunk.

Moreover, the Uniâo Geral de Trabalhadores (UGT-P) and its affiliate Sindicato dos Bancários do Sul e Ilhas (SBSI) denounced the adoption of Decree-Law 19/2013 issued on 6 February 2013 without prior consultation with the social partners. The regulation has been imposed on workers in the banking sector suspending collective agreement that were in force. The SBSI has filed a complaint with the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association in this regard.

The REFER (Rede Ferroviária Nacional, EP) issued a minimum service requirement to the SINAFE (Sindicato Nacional Ferroviários do Movimento e Afins) only the day before the general strike of 27 June 2013 in order to undermine the strike action. Workers who are members of the Sindicato dos Técnicos, Administrativos e Auxiliares de Educação (STAAE) have been threatened that their union membership would impact their performance evaluation and thus promotions negatively.

In addition, the UGT believes that Airports of Portugal, SA (ANA) acted in bad faith when it negotiated minimum services during the general strike of 27 June 2013. Management refused to allow SINDAV members to participate in the minimum service.

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.