As the PCP has said and reaffirmed, the path is to go forward and not move backwards.

The decision of the government to create a climate of crisis, threaten to resign and try to condition the Assembly of the Republic with the excuse of the restoration of a right set down in the 2017 and 2018 State Budgets is a manoeuvre of blackmail that results from the electoral opportunism of the PS and is revealing of how far the government and PS are willing to go to try to impose injustices and setbacks or curb solutions to problems stemming from the cuts imposed by the policies of the SGP and of the Pact of Aggression of the responsibility of the PS and PSD/CDS governments.

It is particularly revealing that the government and the PS repeat arguments and criteria used by the previous PSD/CDS government, namely seeking to play workers against workers to justify the maintenance of cuts in rights.

The PCP maintains its coherent position to defend the counting of the full length of service of special careers, restoring the conditions of equality of these workers with that of all other Public Administration workers.

The proposals adopted yesterday in the Assembly determine the counting of time of service corresponding to the work actually executed by the teachers, just as should be the case with other professionals with special careers.

The phased implementation of this wage valuation should already have been defined, as proposed by the PCP, had it not been the opposition of PSD and CDS who chose to leave a situation of indefinition that defers this decision to future governments.

Contrary to what has been said, the adopted proposals do not have any budgetary impact in 2019. The government's use of estimates of budgetary impact without any basis of support or criteria such as the deficit targets to prevent the implementation of this right of the workers contrasts with the millions it has always been ready to hand to the banks and big economic groups.

The PCP does not accept blackmail and ultimatums. PCP's commitment is to the workers, the people and the country, as it always was and always will be.

The path that is necessary, as the last years clearly reveal, is the valorisation of the workers, their wages and rights as a condition for the creation of jobs and for the development of the country.

What is needed is a general increase in wages for all workers, the valorisation of careers and work experience, a significant increase of the Minimum National Wage to 850 euros per month, the repeal of grievous labour legislation regulations, a combat against precariousness, the guarantee of decent hours, along with a set of measures to increase pensions and social aid, investment in public services and social functions of the State and support to national production and productive sectors.

This is what is needed, to advance in the defence and valorisation of the rights of the workers and the people and not move back to the submission to the blackmail and arbitrariness of the EU.