The Central Committee of the PCP, meeting on June 27 and 28, 2026, analysed the country’s political and social situation, valued the workers’ struggle and the defeat of the Labour Package, evaluated developments in the international situation, and outlined the Party’s immediate course of action. It also assessed the implementation of the resolution on the Party and the strengthening of its organisation and activities.
 

I - National situation

1. The national situation is marked by an intensification of the clash between big capital, with its interests and plans to impose its dominance over the Country, and the workers and other anti-monopoly classes and social strata, with their resistance and initiatives against the worsening of exploitation, injustices and external dependence.

2. A key development in the national situation is the great victory of the workers, namely the defeat of the Labour Package, following eleven months of intense struggle, notably the general strikes of December 11 and June 3, which, beyond their most immediate consequence, reveals the importance of the organised strength and struggle of the workers, and their decisive role in the resistance against the offensive, in the struggle for rights and for a new course for Portugal.

The Central Committee of the PCP, taking into account the central role of the Labour Package in the strategy of the Government and big capital, emphasises the importance and significance of its defeat. In the face of calls to give up, it was the strength of the organised struggle that proved decisive, first in rejecting and then defeating the Labour Package. A struggle which, over more than 330 days, raised awareness on the assault that this proposal would have represented on workers and their rights, and isolated the Government and those who, like Chega and the IL, openly supported this attack from the very outset. It was the struggle that forced some to cast a vote they never wished.

It is a victory of great social, political and ideological impact, because of what it means for workers’ lives, and because it represents a defeat for the reactionary and anti-democratic plans and agenda of the PSD/CDS Government and big capital; because it demonstrates the huge strength of organised struggle; because it has proved the wisdom of maintaining the struggle as a decisive factor, neither giving up nor waiting for what only the workers’ struggle could determine; and because it bolsters confidence in the possibility of resisting and winning, even under unfavourable conditions.

3. After more than two years of Government action, it is clear that not only have most problems worsened, but new threats to living conditions and the Country’s development have also emerged. The implementation of big capital’s agenda is driven primarily by the actions of the PSD/CDS Government, with its materialisation relying on the support of both Chega and the IL, as well as the PS itself. An action which, subservient to the European Union and to imperialism in general, deepens the monopolistic restoration that right-wing policies have fostered over decades and entail the intensification of an anti-social, anti-patriotic and anti-democratic agenda, in direct confrontation with the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic. Shrouded in intense demagoguery and propaganda, this action does not conceal the fact that it weakens the Government and exacerbates contradictions in the face of the consequences of right-wing policies and their rejection.

4. In the current situation, the rising cost of living is particularly striking, especially the prices of food, fuel and housing, whilst the Government refuses both to increase wages and pensions and to regulate prices; the attack on public services is intensifying, with attempts to dismantle the National Health Service and favour private groups in the healthcare business, as well as the deterioration of public schools and the growing elitism in education; the assault on Social Security is gathering pace, in line with EU objectives, with hundreds of millions of euros being diverted (via layoff, Social Security Tax (TSU) exemptions, etc.) from workers’ contributions into the pockets of big capital; the abolition of thirteen social benefits is underway, with the creation of a so-called “Single Social Payment”, which reduces support and stigmatises poverty; the crisis in access to housing is deepening, exacerbated by rising interest rates, fuelled by the ECB’s decision; there are notable problems with access to transport, particularly in terms of supply, as a result of liberalisation and privatisation in this sector, as well as a glaring lack of public investment; the needs of children are not being met, with the absence of a public network of nurseries and the plight of thousands of parents struggling to secure a place, just as is the case of the elderly, for whom facilities and support are in short supply.

To be emphasised is the contradiction between the favouring of big capital and the interests of workers and the needs of the Country. Among other aspects, the following stand out: the succession of profits achieved in recent years by the main economic groups and multinationals, deepening the concentration and accumulation of capital, as well as the outflow of capital abroad; the completed or ongoing transfers of national companies into the hands of foreign capital, examples of which include the sale of Novo Banco to BPCE, the takeover of Galp by Moeve, the process of handing over the Mitrena Shipyards under a new concession, the threats to Arsenal de Alfeite, or privatisations – such as those of TAP, part of SATA, Silotagus or CP railway lines; the announcement of a so-called sovereign wealth fund to be used, in reality, against national sovereignty; the negotiation of dozens of old and new PPPs, guaranteeing revenue of billions of euros over the coming decades to economic groups, at the expense of investment in and maintenance of infrastructure and equipment; the promotion of real estate speculation and land concentration, with various processes currently underway, ranging from the handover of State assets to private capital to the implementation of tax benefits that favour it; the attack on Public Administration, under the guise of “State reform”; the promotion, in the name of procedural urgency, of mechanisms to reduce the State’s capacity of supervision in Public Procurement

The Government fails to address the impact of the storms or the consequences of the worsening international situation. In both cases, it has replaced the necessary support and measures with propaganda, of which the “Portugal Transformation, Recovery and Resilience” (PTRR) plan is an example. The reality is that not only has the essential support – which was already limited – failed to reach those who need it, but problems have actually worsened. Five months after the storms, in addition to the increased risk of forest fires, major groups in the energy, telecommunications and insurance areas are shirking their responsibilities, with the Government’s complicity.

Representing the interests of big capital, the PSD/CDS Government is pursuing a policy in line with the dogmas of neoliberalism. An approach that sacrifices investment and public services to the dictates of the EU and the euro. Inequalities, injustices and structural deficits, in the areas of production, energy, science and technology, and demographics, persist year after year. A fragile economic fabric is taking shape, consisting primarily of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, within an economy dominated by large foreign capital and particularly exposed to an uncertain and deteriorating international environment. Public Administration is drained of cadres and resources, with a pitiful capacity for investment, as was evident in the implementation of the RRP. Thousands of people are living on the brink of survival or facing the prospect of regression. Without fundamental measures to halt these trends, the economic and social situation is likely to deteriorate further.

A policy of confrontation with the Constitution of the Republic is intensifying on all fronts, whilst a tortuous process is under way aimed at its subversive amendment, the outcome of which remains uncertain.

5. Against a backdrop where the alternation between the PS and the PSD, which has prevailed for decades as a means of perpetuating right-wing politics, and which is reflected in successive calls for pacts and consensus, is running out of steam. Big capital is managing the situation and openly promoting reactionary forces and projects such as the IL and, in particular, Chega, establishing them as instruments and a reserve force to take on the role previously played by others. At the same time, attempts are being made to promote false solutions to the problems and contradictions created by right-wing politics, either through the rehabilitation of political forces and options that brought us to the current situation, or through new realignments on the political and party front, based on yielding to the blackmail of the “lesser evil”, which does not solve the problems, creates frustration and fuels the reactionary camp.

The situation demands a rupture with right-wing politics subordinated to the interests of big capital; the affirmation of the class interests of workers and anti-monopoly strata, and a response to their needs and living conditions; the affirmation of national interests in the face of external interference and constraints, and the refusal to submit to imperialism, NATO and the EU; and the defence, promotion and upholding of the Constitution of the Republic and its vision of progress, development, sovereignty and peace.

It calls for a patriotic, left-wing alternative, which requires a stronger PCP rather than its dilution. It calls for the intensification of the mass struggle, with workers and their organisations playing a central role in the necessary broadening of the social front of struggle, rather than their marginalisation or subordination. This involves bringing together thousands of democrats and patriots, regardless of how they have voted in the past, around a political proposal for rupture, rather than the simple and circumstantial arithmetic of votes and seats at any given moment. An alternative that is built on the masses’ identification with the objectives it sets out to achieve, and whose process of construction – even more so in the current context – demands persistence, courage and initiative.

II - Struggle – path to victory

1. The Central Committee of the PCP salutes the struggle of the workers, the youth and the population, which has played a remarkable role in recent months in shaping the national situation in various respects, notably the workers’ great victory with the defeat of the Labour Package.

2. The Central Committee of the PCP highlights the impressive wave of struggles that has unfolded since last summer in defence of workers’ claims and rights, with the rejection of the Labour Package as the central unifying factor. These struggles include the demonstration on September 20, the National March on November 8, the General Strike on December 11, the demonstration on January 13 with the handing of over 190,000 signatures, the demonstrations on February 28 and April 17, the popular celebrations of 25th. April, the May Day journey of struggle, the General Strike on June 3, the rally on June 18 outside the Assembly of the Republic, as well as the public stand taken by hundreds of trade union leaders, shop stewards and other workers’ representatives on June 19 in the galleries of the Assembly of the Republic, at the time of the vote on the Labour Package.

3. The General Strike on June 3, called by the CGTP-IN as part of this intense struggle, was a powerful action to defeat the Labour Package and a clear rejection of the path of social regression and increased exploitation that they seek to impose on the workers and the Country; it was a demonstration of the strength of workers’ unity. Held at a crucial moment in the Country’s life, in the midst of public debate on the draft legislation, it saw widespread participation and had a significant impact across the whole Country, with strong representation across various sectors of activity, in both the public and private spheres, involving several generations of workers with different types of employment relationships.

It was a strike organised by the workers and the unitary trade union movement, with the contribution of the Party’s organisations and militants, against a backdrop of rising living costs, widespread precariousness, intense pressure on workers, and in the face of a powerful political and ideological barrier promoting the supposed benefits of the Labour Package and the inevitability of its implementation.

4. The Central Committee of the PCP stresses the strength, organisation and unity of the workers and salutes the CGTP-IN for its decisive role in the remarkable process of struggle that has unfolded, confirming its status as the great trade union central of Portuguese workers.

5. The Central Committee of the PCP also values the claiming action of the workers in a wide range of sectors, such as teachers and nurses, the significant public celebrations of 25th. April, the commemorations held throughout the country to mark International Women’s Day, the actions of pensioners and retirees, the struggles of the populations, and the actions against racism and xenophobia, in defence of peace and solidarity amongst peoples, notably the demonstrations in Lisbon and Porto on March 14. It particularly values the struggles of the youth, namely those of secondary and higher education students on Students’ Day, and of young workers on Youth Day, March 28. It also stresses the holding of important trade union elections and congresses, as well as the National Meeting of Workers’ Committees.

6. The Central Committee of the PCP calls for the development of the mass struggle of workers and the populations, certain that it is in the intensification of this struggle that lies the strength to halt the destructive erosion of rights and living conditions and to open a path to social progress.

III – International situation

1. Developments in the international situation confirm key points highlighted in the Central Committee’s communiqué of March 1 and 2, in which the exploitative and aggressive onslaught of imperialism, inseparable from the structural crisis of capitalism, stands out, as do the resistance and struggle of the peoples in defence of their sovereignty and rights, of peace, cooperation and social progress.

2. The warmongering escalation by US imperialism which, regardless of internal contradictions, relies on the alignment and subordination of its allies, notably the G7, NATO and the EU, with the huge consequences and serious threats this entails, is responsible for the continued and dangerous deterioration of the international situation.

A violent offensive led by the US, which, whilst revealing the difficulties and limitations of imperialist action, as demonstrated by the significant setback suffered by the US and Israel in their military aggression against Iran, seeks to contain and reverse the positive trends that have characterised the evolution of the international situation, and to create the conditions most conducive to a confrontation with the People’s Republic of China, which it identifies as its strategic adversary.

Targeting in particular those countries and peoples who assert their sovereignty and rights and pursue a path of development outside the sphere of imperialism, the aggressive actions of the US and its allies are particularly serious in the context of Israel’s ongoing policy of occupation, colonisation and genocide against the Palestinian people; Israel’s brutal military aggression against Lebanon; in the military aggression by the US and Israel against Iran and the resulting destabilisation of the Middle East and on a global scale; in the US offensive in Latin America and the Caribbean and, in particular, in the escalation of aggression against socialist Cuba, with the intensification of the criminal and inhumane blockade, against Bolivarian Venezuela and in the interference in various electoral processes; as well as in the warmongering escalation by NATO and the EU aimed at confrontation with Russia, which includes the prolongation of the war in Ukraine.

3. The Portuguese Government has aligned itself with and subordinated itself to the imperialist aims of the US, NATO and the EU, adopting a shameful stand that runs counter to the interests of the Portuguese people and to the principles of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic and international law, a stand that Portugal’s election to a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council cannot erase.

4. Of the utmost importance is the resistance and struggle that has been waged by the workers and peoples in every country in the face of the exploitative and aggressive onslaught of big capital, in defence of rights and improvement of living conditions, sovereignty and peace, which, with advances and setbacks, continues to unfold throughout the world; the strengthening of internationalist solidarity; the strengthening of the communist parties and their cooperation within the international communist and revolutionary movement; and the convergence of a broad anti-imperialist front that will contain and drive back imperialism and pave the way for the construction of a new international order of peace and social progress.

5. Valuing the work carried out in the cause of peace and solidarity, it is essential to continue and expand our solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle to end the genocide and materialise their national rights; with the Lebanese and Iranian peoples’ struggle to defend their homelands against imperialist aggression; with socialist Cuba, to end the blockade and the escalation of US aggression and threats; with Venezuela, in the face of the serious consequences of the earthquakes, in defence of its sovereignty and for the release of President Nicolás Maduro and MP Cília Flores; with the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Europe and throughout the world, who are resisting the threats, interference and aggression of imperialism. It is also essential to continue and expand the struggle for peace and disarmament, against militarism and war, for the dissolution of NATO, which is due to hold a summit on July 7 and 8, in Turkey, for the rejection of the militarisation of the EU, for peace in Europe and for the establishment of a collective security system.

6. Capitalism reveals its true nature, showing that it has nothing more to offer but exploitation, oppression, aggression and predation, and that it is responsible for the major problems and scourges afflicting peoples. Reality demonstrates the need for its revolutionary overthrow and that it is the building of a new society – socialism – which stands as the prospect for the future of Humanity.

IV — Political initiative, intervention and strengthening of the Party

1. The Party has carried out a remarkable work, fulfilling its role in terms of political initiative, mass struggle, and its contribution to strengthening unitary mass organisations, unitary political work, in articulation with the ongoing efforts to strengthen the Party. The role and intervention of the JCP should also be highlighted.

This work was also expressed in the celebrations marking the Party’s 105th. anniversary under the slogan “Project. Struggle. Confidence”, in the development of the workers’ struggle, in the national campaign “A different course for the country. Reject the Labour Package, exploitation and injustices”, in the campaign “Storms 2026 – Respond, resolve, prevent”, in the celebrations for International Women’s Day, in the action by student and working-class youth, in the struggle for the right to housing and in defence of the National Health Service (notably with the 70 initiatives held on April 21), in the celebrations marking the 50th. anniversary of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, in the popular celebrations of 25th. April, in the May Day journey of struggle, and in the mobilisation for peace and internationalist solidarity. A vast campaign accompanied by initiatives within companies and workplaces, at local level, and through intervention in the Assembly of the Republic, the European Parliament and Local Government.

The Central Committee of the PCP salutes the Party and JCP militants for their commitment and dedication in various areas and tasks, and for their enlightening, mobilising, confident and determined contribution throughout the process of political action and struggle for the workers’ victory in defeating the Labour Package.

2. The Central Committee of the PCP affirms the need for intervention focused on a rupture with right-wing politics, materialising the patriotic and left-wing alternative, and defending and implementing the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic.

To this end, it sets out the following lines of work for the near future: the campaign “Struggle, the path to victory. Wages, pensions, public services. A New Course for Portugal”, featuring street campaigns and a broad drive to raise awareness and contact with the workers and the populations, taking the initiative on their problems, against the rising cost of living and exploitation, and continuing to unite the struggle; intervention to defend and valorise public services, in particular the National Health Service (NHS), public schools and Social Security, and for the right to housing; the fight against privatisations; the development of the “Storms 2026 – Respond, resolve, prevent” campaign; the promotion of a broad initiative against the process of subverting the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic; the development of the struggle for peace and the intensification of internationalist solidarity.

We emphasise the importance of the 50th. Avante! Festival, on September 4, 5 and 6, and stress the need to step up efforts to prepare, promote and publicise the event. We also highlight the organisation of our own initiatives, notably the celebrations marking the 90th. anniversary of the birth of Ary dos Santos.

3. Progress has been made in implementing the Central Committee’s Resolution on the Party and in strengthening its organisation and activities: “A stronger PCP. It is necessary! It is possible!”, although these vary between organisations and across the various guidelines. Notable progress has been made: in implementing the general drive to strengthen leadership and organisational structure, linked to attributing responsibilities to cadres, through the holding of a large number of organisational assemblies; steps taken under the General Work Plan to strengthen the Party’s intervention and organisation amongst the working class and workers, in companies and workplaces; the dynamism of the JCP, notably through the holding of important regional meetings; the recruitment of new members; and the process of handing the new Party membership card.

Highlighting the steps taken to implement the Resolution, and indeed in understanding its content, persistence is required to ensure that a much larger number of cadres understand the depth and implications of what is intended, and the necessary change in working style required to achieve the objectives it entails.

The need to make progress on the priorities identified is emphasised, particularly in implementing the general drive to strengthen leadership and organisational structure and to foster a sense of overall attribution of responsibilities to cadres, with a view to consolidating and expanding a broad core of cadres and providing them with training.

The victory achieved by defeating the Labour Package highlights the importance of workers’ organisation, unity and struggle; it demonstrates the vanguard role of the PCP and the need and possibility of advancing the Party’s organisation and intervention amongst workers in companies and workplaces, which requires even greater attention to be paid to the implementation of the general work plan for strengthening the Party’s organisation and intervention amongst the working class and workers in companies and workplaces; this also involves a plan to encourage trade union membership and the involvement of Party members in strengthening trade unions and other unitary workers’ organisations.

It is also important to focus on other key aspects such as: stepping up our work with the youth; making progress in the areas of communication, information, propaganda and the press; recruiting new members and integrating them into the Party; handing the new Party membership card, following extensive contact and individual conversations aimed at encouraging greater militancy; working with specific social groups and areas; promoting the Avante! Festival; and working to ensure the Party’s financial independence.
 

★★★

The intervention and strengthening of the PCP, the struggle of the workers and the populations, of the democratic and patriotic forces and sectors, and the values of April are decisive factors in resisting and combating setbacks, in asserting, guaranteeing and securing rights, in making a rupture with right-wing politics, and in paving the way for a political alternative and a new course for Portugal. The national and international situation reaffirms the necessity and topicality of the revolutionary overcoming of capitalism by socialism.