Portugal's labour minister calls rejected reform a missed opportunity

Portugal's Minister of Labour, Rosário Palma Ramalho, said the core of the proposed labour reform was a "missed opportunity for the country" after the parliament rejected the bill. She emphasized that the government would not exchange any reform for a pension mortgage, insisting that swapping reforms for pension cuts would breach public trust.

Ramalho added that the government had not altered the methodology of the reform process, which had proceeded without a signed social agreement and was marked by two general strikes. The opposition, including the Socialists and Chega, voted against the proposal, leading to its defeat in the legislature.

The minister framed the failure as a setback for Portugal's competitiveness, noting the country lags behind most of Europe in wages and productivity. She reaffirmed the government's commitment to respect democratic outcomes while urging the public to draw their own conclusions.