Portugal

The Union of Teachers of the North Region in Portugal discovered that their notice boards were removed without their consent or knowledge and their location changed to a less visible place, just as the sector unions was preparing for a national strike call on 2 November 2022. The illegal removal of union notice boards, and the resulting lack of access of workers to union information, had a clear impact on workers’ participation in the strike. For the Union of Teachers of the North Region, this violation was preceded by anti-union discrimination measures, leading to the removal of the union leaders from school facilities.

In Portugal, workers often did not disclose their union membership for fear of anti-union discrimination in their careers. The União Geral de Trabalhadores (UGT-P) reported increasing pressure from employers to discourage workers from joining trade unions, compounded by high levels of precarious employment and a large number of small enterprises.

In Portugal, employers often refused to negotiate or intentionally delayed negotiations without a valid motive, especially regarding wages.