The saga of the Atlantida

The "acquired rights" installed in Portugal

after the 25th April 1974's revolution,

has been the absolute ruin of the country

and one of the causes of the debt-sindrome

so endemic in Portugal.

A recent example of the scandal is the case of the Atlantida,

a ferry custom-built on order from the Azores,

an autonomous region of Portugal.

The shipyards of Vianna de Castelo, has been bankrupt for ages,

but as a state-run entity, with a history of mismanagement of tax-payers' money.

After refusing to accept the Atlantida in the Azores,

Hugo Chaves promised to buy it,

but unfortunately it ONLY served as one of many promises.

On a recent test-run to Lisbon, the state spent 130 thousand euros on fuel,

in a state-run company where there isn't enough money

to pay for basics such as toilet paper,

where the natural gas supply from Galp was cut for lack of payment,

but where hundreds of workers have 16 women serving in the canteen,

where there is a huge variety of "acquired workers rights",

including a 37 hour work-week.

BUT the state-run company has to sub-contract services

that could be done be company staff.

But the list of absurdities has no end:

a ship-designer travels each Monday in First Class to Vianna de Castelo' shipyard,

where the shipyard has a driver and a car waiting, at his sole disposal,

he stays in a hotel, and returns to Lisbon each Thursday,

all this, despite the fact that,

he has nothing to draw or design!!

No wonder Portugal's external debt is more than 400 billion euros.