“It is not the BE that establishes the link between school age and the prohibition of work. It is the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic”, stressed the Bloco MP José Soeiro during the debate in parliament.

The BE proposal amends the Labour Code, setting the minimum age for working at 18 years, similar to the end of compulsory schooling, but maintains all the exceptions currently provided for, which allow, for example, the signing of a part-time employment contract during holiday time, or participation in cultural, artistic, advertising or sporting activities.

The aim is simply to “adapt the general labour law to the evolution that has occurred in compulsory schooling”, explained José Soeiro, citing the article of the Portuguese Constitution that prohibits work by minors of school age.

Despite the good intentions, recognized by the other parliamentary benches, the majority of the politicians questioned the benefits of the amendment.

“New changes made ‘ad hoc’ create instability in the market and send mixed messages,” warned social democrat Paulo Edson Cunha, who defended the current formulation of the law and warned, on the other hand, about the increase in young people who are not studying or in work.

Also on the right, João Almeida, from CDS-PP, considered that the BE proposal is “completely contrary to the logic of emancipation of young people” and considered that it would be a setback for those who seek to have professional experience during their school career.

A “barrier” to autonomy

It was also the argument used by Hugo Oliveira, from the PS, who questioned whether the application of the law, as proposed by the Bloco, would bring improvements to the system or problems to the young people it seeks to protect, and gave the example of families facing loss of income and need this addition, but also others who want to have some professional experience in the area in which they intend to continue their studies.

“Protecting young people cannot mean infantilizing them or unnecessarily limiting opportunities for development. We need to ensure that we are not creating yet another barrier to young people’s autonomy and freedom,” highlighted liberal Patrícia Gilvaz.

On the left, the Bloc had the support of Livre, who, through the voice of deputy Filipa Pinto, stated that the evolution of compulsory schooling, which in 2009 was set at the 12th year or until the age of 18, “is one of the great achievements of democracy”.

Alfredo Maia, from the PCP, defended, on the one hand, that the State must ensure that all children and young people have the conditions to attend compulsory schooling and, on the other, that the regulation of the provision of work always has as a priority the guarantee of conditions and decent wages.

In addition to the BE proposal, a PAN resolution project was also debated to prepare a study on child labour in Portugal and measures to combat, prevent and support families.

“The eradication of child labour begins with this knowledge”, argued Inês Sousa Real, recalling that the last national study on the subject was carried out more than 20 years ago.