The Portuguese Prime Minister guaranteed that the Government will continue "when it comes to social dialogue to strive for an agreement that can lend labour relations the spirit to boost productivity and competitiveness, that transform our economy into one that is more attractive for investment, that offer security for investors", claimed Luís Montenegro on Friday in a statement to the press after the conference that celebrated 150 years of Caixa Geral de Depósitos. 

Portugal must be "a country with rules that are sufficiently agile for the economy to work and present greater levels of productivity", he claimed, adding that it is not enough for Portugal to be "a reliable country, a stable country".

The Prime Minister recalled that Public Administration workers were valued, noting the around four dozen agreements entered into in various careers, striving for Public Administration to be "as competitive or more so than other sectors", thereby serving citizens and companies better.

CGD is fundamental for the financial system’s stability

During his speech for the "Encontro Fora da Caixa" [Meeting outside the box] initiative, Luís Montenegro stressed the importance of a public bank, claiming that "plays an unsurmountable role in the Portuguese financial system’s evolution and an irreplaceable role in the confidence people and economic agents have of our financial system".

According to the Government, a bank with exclusively public capital "is a fundamental element" for the financial "system’s stability". "It is good to better serve the people, it is good to better serve the companies, and it is good to stabilise the financial system’s running", the Head of Government upheld.

Caixa is also a "social and territorial cohesion element" that is often where other banks aren’t, noting that "beyond the numbers are the people", "the communities", "an entire country’s sense of cohesion ".

The Prime Minister also recalled that CGD has already returned to the State the money it had invested in it during the financial crisis: "the money the taxpayers placed here has been capitalised and that is a remarkable element in the institution’s management and also public finance management."