Questo articolo intende analizzare i principali aspetti della riforma del lavoro introdotta in Portogallo ai sensi del programma di assistenza finanziaria (specificamente, il Protocollo d’intesa su condizioni specifiche di politica economica firmato dal Governo portoghese, Commissione europea, Banca centrale europea e Fondo monetario internazionale) e il suo potenziale impatto in termini di giustizia intergenerazionale. I punti cardine della riforma del diritto del lavoro presa in esame in questo studio includono salari, orari di lavoro, risoluzione del contratto di lavoro e contrattazione collettiva. Come avremo modo di spiegare, se da un lato queste riforme conducono a un grave peggioramento delle condizioni lavorative standard, dall’altro mettono in discussione capisaldi classici del diritto del lavoro, quali il principio di favor laboratoris, e minano la giustizia intergenerazionale. Alcune delle misure introdotte violano le convenzioni internazionali ratificate dal Por­togallo, tra cui la Convenzione dell’OIL e la Carta sociale europea (riveduta). Ciò nonostante né il legislatore portoghese né i tribunali portoghesi hanno preso in considerazioni questi strumenti internazionali. Ci sono stati, in ogni caso, tentativi di invocare la Carta dei diritti fondamentali dell’Unione europea di fronte alla Corte di giustizia, la quale si è rifiutata di intervenire, trascurando di fatto il contesto europeo in cui vengono prese queste decisioni. In tale situazione il ruolo principale è spettato alla Corte costituzionale portoghese che ha dichiarato incostituzionali alcune delle misure governative data la violazione dei principi di uguaglianza, proporzionalità, tutela della fiducia, contrattazione collettiva o autonomia degli enti locali. Recenti studi hanno mostrato l’enorme impatto sociale del programma di adeguamento in termini di uguaglianza e povertà in Portogallo, a sostegno delle decisioni controverse dell’attuale governo di sinistra che ha deciso di invertire alcune delle riforme, con effetti economici apparentemente (e opinabilmente) positivi.

I. Introduction The economic and financial crisis led the Portuguese State to request financial assistance from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund (the so called “Troika”), which was granted on May 2011 under the terms of the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism. In exchange, this required a commitment to a three-year austerity plan laid out in the Memorandum of Understanding on Specific Economic Policy Conditionality (MoU) [1]. One of the arguments commonly used to justify austerity measures was that the need to reduce public expenditure, to achieve budgetary and economic balance, should also be seen as a concern for intergenerational justice: present generations should be obligated by considerations of justice not to pursue policies that will impose an unfair distribution of costs and benefits for future generations. The focus on current budget deficit and public debt is therefore essential to avoid burdening future generations. In addition to budgetary policy measures, the MoU prescribed a set of detailed structural measures, including several labour market reforms in a broad group of areas (e.g., unemployment benefits, employment protection legislation, working-time arrangements, wages, collective bargaining, active labour market policies). The core aims of the MoU in the labour market domain were to reduce the costs related to employment contracts, to expand both “internal” and “external” flexibility and to relaunch collective bargaining under a new and more decentralised framework, since the ‘strictness’ of labour legislation was pointed out as a source of low competitiveness, economic growth and job creation (namely among young people, particularly afflicted by unemployment). Still, the MoU remarks the need to take into account possible constitutional implications, the respect of EU Directives and the Core Labour Standards [2]. Nevertheless, some of those measures breach international conventions ratified by Portugal, such as ILO Conventions and the Revised European Social Charter (RESC). Yet, neither the Portuguese legislator, nor the Portuguese Courts have considered these international instruments. In this context, the main role was played by the Portuguese Constitutional Court which, in a remarkable example of judicial speed, declared unconstitutional some of the government measures for infringement of the principles of equality, proportionality, protection of trust, collective bargaining and local administration autonomy. In spite of that, reliability to the rhetoric of crisis could be seen as the foundation of a certain favor legislatoris also by the Constitutional Court. At the same time, the MoU recognises the importance of social dialogue, stating that “Reforms in labour and social security legislation will be implemented after consultation of social partners”. Nevertheless, in [continua..]