The announcement was made by the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Rosário Palma Ramalho, at a press conference, after the Government ended negotiations on changes to labour legislation without an agreement in the Social Dialogue on 7 May.

The Minister justified the need for this reform by insisting that Portugal has the “second most rigid labour legislation” among OECD countries.

“The essential motto, its objective, can be summarised in this phrase: to strengthen the rights and guarantees of workers in the 21st century,” she said.