Tributes Pour in for Activist Maria do Carmo Tavares: A Life Dedicated to Workers' Rights

Maria do Carmo Tavares, a prominent activist and leader of the CGTP-IN, has passed away at the age of 76. The funeral is scheduled for Friday in Lisbon. Tavares was remembered by the union for dedicating her life to the labor movement, advocating for the valorization of work and workers, and striving for a Portugal of progress and social justice.

Born on March 6, 1948, Tavares was a chemical analyst by profession and an influential figure in the labor scene both before and after the April 25, 1974 revolution. She was a member of the Workers' Commission at Neocel, her chemical company, and served in various roles within the Lisbon Chemical Technicians and Workers Union, including as a board member and later as the president of the General Assembly.

Prior to the revolution, she played a key role in negotiating the Collective Labor Regulation Instrument for chemical analysts and was involved in merging three chemical sector unions into Sinquifa. She also contributed to forming Fiequimetal, the Inter-union Federation of Metal, Chemical, Electric, Pharmaceutical, Cellulose, Paper, Graphic, Press, Energy, and Mining Industries.

Tavares represented her union in the CNOP and CNOC for the Congress of All Unions in January 1977, where she was elected to the National Secretariat of CGTP-IN and re-elected multiple times until 2012. The CGTP highlighted her full-time roles in the union, particularly in Collective Bargaining and overseeing Social Policies regarding social security, health, and education.

A member of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), she also served on the Advisory Board of the Inatel Foundation. The wake will start at 5 PM today at the Church of S. Francisco de Assis in Lisbon, with the funeral set for Friday at 4:50 PM, followed by cremation at the Alto de S. João Cemetery.