Trabalho XXI: the labour reform hits the hard part
The government wants to change more than a hundred articles of the Labour Code. Without a majority, it'll need borrowed votes — and that's where it gets interesting.
Some reforms slip through unnoticed. Others touch everybody’s daily life. The labour one is firmly in the second camp.
The government’s package — branded “Trabalho XXI” — cleared the Cabinet and went to Parliament. It rewrites more than a hundred articles of the Labour Code: it makes dismissals easier, gives companies more leeway over working hours, and reshapes collective bargaining rules. Supporters call it modernising and a productivity boost. Critics call it a door to precarious work. Both readings will sit side by side in the debate.
The maths is in charge
The detail that decides everything is simple: the AD coalition has no majority. To pass anything, it needs votes from outside — and the obvious lenders pull in opposite directions. On the right, Chega has the weight to make or break it; on the left, the PS can bargain or block. Every article could become a trading chip.
What to expect
A final vote could come as soon as late June, but it depends on how deep the line-by-line scrutiny runs. Unions already struck on 3 June and warned it won’t be the last if the text passes unchanged. The short version: plenty of noise still ahead — and it’s worth watching the numbers, not just the speeches.
Update: the bill was voted down
The maths did decide it. On 19 June 2026 Parliament rejected the bill at first reading, with Chega joining the PS, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN and JPP against it, and only the PSD, IL and CDS-PP in favour. What followed was a return to the table, with the social partners meeting for the first time since the rejection.
Illustrative · Photo: Artur Roman / Pexels
