PCP Secretary General Paulo Raimundo defended this Sunday that given the current “explosive situation”, “people must react”, and also called for mobilization in defense of the SNS so that this April 25 achievement is not lost. .
“It’s no coincidence. Every day, all of us, we are under pressure in our industries, in our professions, in salaries and pensions. Everything is tightening and people have to respond. People are not respected, they are earning and they can’t live with dignity and they must respond, there is no alternative.” journalists Paulo Raimundo responded to questions about the strikes in various sectors.
This morning, the communist secretary general was in contact with the population at the monthly market of Azeitão, Setúbal district, after being questioned by journalists about the announcement made the day before that the PCP will move forward with a bill to change the status of the National Health Service (SNS), aiming to “stop the possibility of opening even more doors to the private sector in health care” and valuing and respecting SNS professionals.
“We are in a situation where we believe that health professionals, users, unions and everyone defending the SNS must respond so that we do not wake up one day without this extraordinary achievement of April 25”appealed.
This reaction, according to Paulo Raimundo, is already visible “for health centers that defend them, in actions to fight for wage increases”.
“This is how it should be, there is no alternative. It is necessary that these movements force the government to give in to answer people’s problems. We are not concerned with whether elections come or not,” he said.
Referring to the fact that “inflation seems to be decreasing”, the leader of the PCP noted that when the Portuguese go shopping, “it turns out there is no connection between this and prices”.
“Incidentally, food and energy are mainly responsible for inflation and the increase in speculation, a problem that needs to be addressed urgently. That is why we insist so strongly on fixing and controlling prices. Without this, it is not possible to stop price increases, which , coupled with the containment of wages, we have an explosive situation that people cannot handle,” he warned.
On the day that three months have passed since it was announced that he would succeed Jerónimo de Sousa as General Secretary of the PCP – a date he assumed he was absent – Paulo Raimundo makes “a positive assessment” of this period
“There has been a lot of initiative and action. What we decided at the national conference is ongoing. In addition, contact with people is a very interesting and natural thing. We’re here to work”, he said, explaining that this morning’s action in the Azeitão market is a” line of work “that the party is developing, that is, a” more direct contact with the people “.
Source: DN
