Dear comrades, Ladies and gentlemen of the press, Please allow me to begin this speech by thanking all the bodies, organisations and grassroots associations we have been in contact with, who have also helped to shape our Parliamentary Conference, and to offer a special mention to the PCP organisations in the districts of Coimbra and Leiria, and in particular to our comrades in Marinha Grande, who, together with the parliamentary group, ensured and made possible this Conference that is now coming to a close.

The PCP’s proposal, which is the subject of today’s debate, represents an opportunity – one that the majority supporting the Government must not squander – to restore some fairness for pensioners facing a galloping and drastically rising cost of living.

The changes in Higher Education that the PSD/CDS government is promoting, with the support of Chega, PS, and IL, aimed at the increasing commodification of Public Higher Education, within the framework of a broader offensive to privatise the social functions of the State, have concrete effects. For example, consider the recent change made to the regulations for access and admission to Higher Education for the coming academic year, which restricts access for students with specific educational needs to the special quota for candidates with disabilities.

Today’s General Strike is a powerful action to defeat the Labour Package [of labour laws] which was presented by the PSD/CDS Government and supported by Chega, IL [parties] and the bosses’ confederations. It is a clear rejection of social regression and of the heightened exploitation that they wish to impose upon the workers.