José Manuel Rodrigues asks for “serious reflection” on wages in Portugal – DNOTICIAS.PT
The president of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, José Manuel Rodrigues, known today, 28 October, in an audience, with the president of Cáritas Portuguesa, Rita Valadas, who made known the institution’s plans to help the most needy.
José Manuel Rodrigues took advantage of the meeting to “thank you for the extraordinary work that Private Institutions of Social Solidarity (IPSS) did not support the most vulnerable and the middle class that went through difficult times”.
“If today we are in a process of economic recovery and of rebuilding the social fabric, this is due to the work of the IPSS, in particular Cáritas”, he stressed.
At the hearing, where the strategy to combat poverty and social exclusion was discussed, the leader of the regional parliament stressed that “it should be a reason for reflection that we have 10% of people who work, but who are considered poor, because they do not affect the income from the poverty line in Portugal, which is around 540 euros”.
For the government official, it is not “admissible for a person to work the entire month and then have no income to cover essential expenses”. For this reason he asked “the political power, the businessmen and the unions for a serious reflection on this problem”.
José Manuel Rodrigues also defends “more innovative social policies” and financial support that “retire people from poverty and vulnerable situations in which they choose”.
It should be noted that the visit of the president of Cáritas Portuguesa to the Region is part of the work project with Cáritas Diocesana of Funchal. “I come to know the concerns and talents of Cáritas Diocesana do Funchal, to integrate them in the proposal for the 2022 action”, revealed Rita Valadas to the media.
The official explained that “next year the goal is to strengthen the work of networking and proximity in order to respond to people’s difficulties.” “Poverty is not the same in all places in Portugal. Caritas Portuguesa is a service for the Diocesan Cáritas, I come to understand how Portuguese Cáritas can help Funchal ”, he maintained.
Funchal’s Cáritas Diocesana supports around 650 families, 200 fewer families than during the pandemic crisis. “The situation of recovery is already being felt in Funchal, due to the recovery of tourism”, said Rita Valadas, who was, however, “very concerned about what will happen with the end of moratoria and layoffs”.
‘Caritas at school’ is another project being developed throughout the country and which, in Madeira, will include schools in Curral das Freiras, Câmara de Lobos and the Externato da Presentation of Maria, in Funchal. “The idea is to get young people to discuss the topic of peace. It’s important to talk about these issues with children, because if we don’t change the perspective of children, we won’t have different adults that we care about today”, explained Rita Valadas.
The president of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira was also concerned with the increase in the number of “young people who neither work nor study”, the so-called “generation neither nor study”, the so-called “nor nor generation” releases, that’s why through Cáritas , an appeal to “carry out studies that will be implemented to help solve a problem that already affects many families in our country, and in Madeira in particular”.