The international seminar “Promotion of social and labour rights: Foundations of the welfare state” took place on February 14 and 15 in Vila Nova de Gaia / Portugal, organised by CFTL (Centro de Formação e Tempos Livres). It was attended by around 50 representatives of workers’ organisations from Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Albania. The seminar was funded by the European Union.
The event took place as planned and stipulated in its Program and was opened by Catarina Trigo, representative of the ILO Office in Lisbon, Piergiorgio Sciacqua, Co-President of the EZA and Paulo Caetano, President of the Centre for Training and Free Time (CFTL).
Opening Session
The Opening Session was attended by Paulo Caetano, President of CFTL, Piergiorgio Sciacqua, Co-President of EZA and Catarina Trigo, Expert from the ILO Office in Lisbon. After welcoming all the participants, Paulo Caetano gave an overview of the importance of promoting fundamental rights in the current global and European context. He emphasized the importance of robust trade unions and active collective bargaining to enhance Social Dialogue and Decent Work.
Catarina Trigo congratulated the organizers on the topicality of the theme, referred to the organization's historic role in promoting labour rights, and drew attention to the need to protect workers in the context of an economy that is developing inequality. She stressed the importance of protecting workers today, particularly with regard to atypical work and precariousness. She recalled the long history of cooperation between the ILO and Portugal.
Piergiorgio Sciacqua regretted that the debate on social justice and the Common Good had been left out of the debate by many people and many institutions. He recalled the dangers to democracy and the rise of populism, in addition to war and the challenges of artificial intelligence. He pointed out that the EU will have to rethink immigration policy and not forget the European Pillar of Social Rights.
PANEL I – “Labor rights: how do we stop work being treated as a commodity?”
Manuel Carvalho da Silva, Coordinator of COLABOR, the Collaborative Laboratory for Work, Employment and Social Protection, was the first speaker on this panel. It's time to revisit the 1944 Declaration of Philadelphia, in which the ILO once again affirms that work is not a commodity. The ILO continues to be a major institution in the fight against violence at work, giving strength to the social dimension. In the same vein, he recalled the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the creation of Labor Law, which develops the exercise of collective representation and collective bargaining as central elements of a modern democratic state. From here, the speaker posed a series of highly topical questions, ranging from the direction of scientific and technological advances and the need to be prepared for these challenges, to the financialization of the economy that doesn't respond to people's problems, to public policies such as education and professional qualifications; the formation and distribution of wealth and the decarbonization of the economy. On all these issues, the answer lies in debating the place of work and working conditions. For the speaker, work cannot be treated as a business and in the new era towards which we are moving there will have to be a new commitment so that work is not a mere commodity. The new international division of labor cannot be regressive from a social point of view. The speaker ended by proposing the fight for Decent Work and against the alienation of work and consumption; a critical stance on semantic manipulation, the use of misleading words such as collaborators instead of workers, the defence of collective relations systems; the revitalization of trade union organization and the importance of life beyond work.
Jairo Gonzalo Rivero, Technical Officer at the International Secretariat for Sustainable Development (USO - Spain), was the second speaker on this panel. He began his speech by saying that work is not a simple product that can be exchanged like a commodity. However, precariousness and subcontracting accentuate work as a commodity. The European Pillar of Social Rights is an important tool that must not be forgotten and can help to make work less of a commodity. Therefore, trade unions will have to use the tools at their disposal in the debates on regulation and standardization, on the just and digital transition, they will have to participate in the big issues and lobby. In particular, they will have to take part in the debate on the Draghi Report, from the perspective that competitiveness cannot be the “Trojan Horse” for social regression.
PANEL II – “The EU's social rights pillar: taking stock of an eight-year experience”
For Carlos Morais Pires, political advisor to the European Commission's representation in Portugal, the debate on competitiveness and geopolitics cannot be dissociated from the Social Pillar. This issue is very topical when debating the Draghi Report and investment in defense. According to the speaker, the EU will have to be competitive in order to be social with a convergent evolution. The European Pillar of Social Rights must also converge with the digital and green transition. Although we don't know what the future will look like, Carlos Morais Pires believes there needs to be strong investment in innovation and education policies, good integration of immigrants, housing and health. As critical points, the speaker highlighted the fact that the European Pillar of Social Rights is subject to the scope of national and regional sovereignty and to the voluntary will of each country. On the other hand, strong participation from civil society and citizens is necessary to ensure that the Pillar is not forgotten in the current global and European context.
François Martin-Chave, a member of the Youth Committees of the French Confederation of Christian Workers and an IT consultant specializing in agile work methodologies and Artificial Intelligence, was the second speaker to give a critical assessment of the eight years of the European Pillar of Social Rights. He began by listing positive aspects, with special emphasis on youth employment, improvements in social dialogue, parental leave policies, the right to disconnect, regulation of digital platforms, the minimum wage directive, protection of self-employed workers, and AI regulation. For the speaker, EU support is fundamental for each country to move forward with these social policies. As critical points, he emphasized that the European Pillar of Social Rights is highly dependent on the will of each state, with no sanctions for noncompliance. He also mentioned the possible effects of future crises and the Pillar’s imperfect monitoring mechanisms. Since the European Pillar of Social Rights is a project lacking ambition, trade unions play a key role in ensuring its objectives are met in all member states. The Pillar cannot be separated from the debate on competitiveness, now reignited by the Draghi Report. The European Union must be competitive to be social, but it must not abandon being social in the name of competitiveness!
PANEL III – “The limits of the infinite growth paradigm, alternatives and effects on the Welfare State”
In this third panel, the discussion moved into a topic that is still seldom addressed, even by trade unions and other workers' organizations.
Pedro Estevão, National Coordinator of BASE-FUT, began by raising questions about the purpose of the economy, how growth should be achieved, and how it should be evaluated. Indeed, the economy should first and foremost serve to meet the essential needs of populations and raise their economic, social, and cultural well-being. Usually, when we hear about economic growth, it refers to the increase in GDP. But this indicator is not suitable for evaluating the economy in terms of meeting basic needs. Important realities outside the market are excluded from this measure. GDP only accounts for the market value of goods and services, which often differs greatly from their use value, i.e., their importance in meeting essential needs—such as care work, community life, or essential workers. According to the speaker, this model of unlimited growth leads to the depletion of natural resources, wealth concentration, and increased inequality. Alternatives must be found to this exhausted model. In the search for alternatives to unlimited growth, several movements and thinkers stand out—particularly the “Economy of Francesco” group.
Diego Nunes, member of the coordinating team of the Portuguese hub of the Economy of Francesco, began by presenting the ecological, social, and instability-related limits of this paradigm of unlimited growth. The logic of endless economic growth directly conflicts with the planet’s finite capacity. Moreover, GDP growth does not always translate into improved quality of life—for instance, in the U.S., productivity has increased, but wages have stagnated. The speaker presented several alternative approaches to development, including economic degrowth, the circular economy, the economy of the common good, and universal basic income. He explained the central idea of each and offered critical evaluations. He questioned whether the problem lies in growth itself or in how we grow. From his perspective, economic growth can be a powerful tool for human development—if it promotes social justice and sustainability.
Filipe Pereira, member of the Executive Committee of the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP-IN) and Coordinator of the Union of Porto, noted that this debate, although relevant, is still disconnected from the everyday concerns of most workers. He stressed the importance of bringing this issue to the forefront. In his view, infinite growth continues to be promoted in universities and by the rhetoric of large economic groups. In Portugal, 19 major economic groups currently amass around 32 million euros in daily profits. He questioned this development model, which depletes resources and fails to maintain the Welfare State. The tax system is unfair, relies heavily on indirect taxes, and benefits large companies. His union advocates for shorter working hours and better wages, as most Portuguese workers earn under a thousand euros per month.
ROUND TABLE – “Visions of European trade unions/worker organizations on the future of the Welfare State”
This round table aimed to give each invited organization the opportunity to present its perspective on the future of the Welfare State in European countries within the EU framework.
António Brandão Guedes, member of the National Executive Committee of BASE-FUT, began by tracing BASE-FUT’s historical roots to Portuguese Catholic Workers’ Movements, their fight against dictatorship, and their vital role in promoting free unionism in Portugal. He then outlined the future of the Portuguese Welfare State based on the 1976 Democratic Constitution, which includes three key components:
A core of fundamental labour and social rights and the participation of workers’ organizations in social and economic institutions;
An economic structure composed of three sectors with equal dignity and deserving support—a public sector, a private sector, and a third, social and self-managed sector;
A political system that combines representative and participatory democracy, with mechanisms for direct participation such as referendums, neighbourhood committees, parish assemblies, participatory budgets, and others.
Sara García de las Heras, Secretary for Trade Union Action and Employment (USO, Spain), also shared aspects of USO’s trade union history— from the Francoist period to the present – highlighting the areas of work the union currently undertakes throughout Spain. Politically, regarding the Welfare State, USO deems it essential to defend and sustain the public pension system and social protection in general, with policies for equality, work-life balance, housing, demography, youth, and immigration; and to push for a more effective, pluralistic, and non-discriminatory trade unionism.
Joseph Thouvenel, Vice President of EZA and Confederal Secretary of the CFTC – France, also presented his union and its views, particularly concerning social protection and its vision of the Welfare State. This vision is based on the management of the common good, inspired by Christian values, and the defence of the inviolable human person.
SEMINAR CLOSING – Presentation of Key Ideas
At the close of the seminar, Jorge Santana, a member of the National Executive Committee of BASE-FUT, presented the conclusions or Key Ideas, which form an annex to this Report. The text was made available to all participants, who were given eight days to submit any contributions to the organizers. After this deadline, the conclusions will be sent to all participants and delivered to Portuguese Authorities, Catholic Church institutions, trade union confederations, and other workers’ organizations.
Then, João Paulo Branco, Director of Management and Finance at CFTL, and Piergiorgio Sciacqua, Co-President of EZA, took the floor to highlight some of the seminar’s main ideas as expressed in the conclusions.