Biography

Manuel Carvalho da Silva was born on November 2, 1948 in Viatodos, Barcelos, in a family of small farmers. He studied at Escola Industrial Carlos Amarante, in Braga, where he concluded the Electrical Assembler course (1965). He worked as a factory electrician, suspending his activity to do the compulsory military service, taking part in the Colonial War, in Cabinda, from 1970 to the beginning of 1972. In 1972/73, he worked at Chromolit Portugal, where he concluded his professional training in work organisation. In September 1973, he joined Preh, a Portuguese electromechanical company, and was part of the company staff until 2011, having been a member of the workers commission from 1974 to 2011. From the beginning of 1974, he intervened in worker representative bodies and performed several union positions at the national level and at the European Trade Union Confederation. In June 1986, he was elected coordinator of CGTP-IN (General Confederation of Portuguese Workers) and, from December 1999 to January 2012, he was General Secretary, designation adopted for the first time in this Central Union. He has developed a more effective social and socio-political intervention in the Portuguese society, responding to the demands in a number of areas related in particular to trade unionism, labour, employment, the social policies, economy, development. He achieved an academic degree. In July 2000, he graduated in Sociology at ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon, presenting his dissertation with the title "Acção sindical: transformação e desenvolvimento", in which he performed a sociological analysis of the labour problems experienced at Grundig's industrial park, in Braga and in Vale do Ave. He got his PhD degree in 2007, also at ISCTE, with the dissertation titled "Centralidade do Trabalho e Acção Colectiva. Sindicalismo em Tempo de Globalização", with a final classification of Very Good, approved unanimously with Honour and Distinction. He was a Guest University Professor at Lusófona University, from 2011 to 2016. Since 2009, he is a researcher at CES. Coordinates CES delegation in Lisbon and was the coordinator of the Observatory on Crises and Alternatives until October 2018. He is Chairman of the Board and Coordinator of the collaborative Laboratory for Work, Employment and Social Protection (CoLABOR). He was Vice-Chairman of the University of Minho Scientific Board (2017 to 2021) and is a member of the Scientific Technical Council of Escola Superior de Saúde do Alcoitão (Superior Health School, Alcoitão).