José Ernesto Cartaxo
Biography
José Ernesto Cartaxo was born in 1943 in São João dos Montes, Vila Franca de Xira. He began working at the age of ten, in the tile factories. Later, he learned the trade of mechanical locksmith and studied at night at the Industrial and Commercial School of Vila Franca de Xira. From a young age, he participated in the region’s associative movement. He was a delegate of the Democratic Electoral Commission (CDE) at the polling stations in the 1969 elections for the National Assembly. In 1970, he became a member of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP).
Following a denunciation by Augusto Lindolfo, José Ernesto Cartaxo was arrested on July 6, 1971, in Caxias. He was tried in the Plenary Court and transferred to the Fort of Peniche, from where he was released on July 6, 1973. During his imprisonment, he was tortured several times and spent 80 days in solitary confinement.
After his release, he had great difficulty finding employment. He was a union representative and member of the workers’ commission of MEC (industrial equipment factory) between 1973 and 1975. After April 25, he was president of the Lisbon Metalworkers’ Union, a member of the executive committee of the CGTP Intersindical, a member of the central committee of the PCP (1988-2008), and president of the Municipal Assembly of Vila Franca de Xira (1993-1997).
Date of Collection: 23.11.2016
Keywords: Workers, Child Labor, Union Movement, Comunist Party, Prison, Interrogation, Caxias, Torture, Peniche, Trial, Censorship.
