André Ventura said that Galp workers and managers “tried, unsuccessfully, to meet several times with António Costa and with the Socialist Party”.

On Sunday, in a campaign for local elections in Matosinhos, the PS general secretary, António Costa, considered that “it was difficult to imagine so much nonsense, so much insensitivity” as Galp demonstrated at the closing of the Matosinhos refinery , promising an “exemplary lesson” to the company.

“Galp began by revealing total social insensitivity by choosing December 20, five days before Christmas, to announce to its 1,600 workers that it would close the Matosinhos refinery”, said Costa.

The company closed the last production unit at the Matosinhos refinery on April 30, following the decision to concentrate operations in Sines.

“It was the PS who should have taught this lesson. It was the Government that could have taught that lesson, because we all know the importance and influence that the Government has in management and the influence it has on Galp itself. He didn't do it because he didn't want to do it”, said André Ventura.

For the president of Chega, Costa's statements are of “the greatest political hypocrisy”.

“It has been recurrent, and in this case it is tremendously hypocritical”, because “he could have listened to the workers and never did”, added.