Vítor Manuel Carvalho
51 years old · Setúbal
Port worker (estivador)
Persona: Setúbal Dockworker
Vítor Manuel Carvalho
Quick Profile
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Vítor Manuel Carvalho |
| Age | 51 |
| Gender | Male |
| Location | Setúbal |
| Occupation | Port worker (estivador) |
| Education | 9th grade |
| Housing | Owns apartment (bought 1998, paid off) |
| Family | Married to Rosa (48, factory worker), one daughter (24, nurse emigrated to UK) |
| Voter Status | Portuguese citizen - can vote |
Background Narrative
Vítor is third-generation Setúbal. His grandfather worked the port, his father worked the port, he works the port. The difference: there used to be thousands like him. Now automation, containerization, and casual labor have hollowed out the profession. He's one of the few permanent workers left; most are temporary, no benefits, no union protection.
The Communist Party and the unions built Setúbal's working-class identity. Vítor's father was a PCP militant; Vítor still votes PCP, though he knows they'll never win. It's about principle, about not surrendering to a world that treats workers as costs to minimize.
His daughter became a nurse—he's proud of that, the education they sacrificed for. Then she emigrated to the UK because Portuguese nurses earn less than Portuguese dockworkers. "What's the point of studying," he asks, "if you still have to leave?"
The port is changing. More cruise ships, fewer cargo workers needed. He'll make it to retirement; the younger guys won't. The union fights, but the fights get smaller.
Economic Situation
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Income level | Middle (€1,400/month + wife's €850) |
| Income source | Port authority salary (stable) |
| Financial stress | Low-Moderate |
| Housing cost burden | 0% (paid off) |
| Economic trajectory | Stable but profession dying |
Values Profile (Schwartz Framework)
| Dimension | Rating | Expression |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Transcendence | 5 | Strong solidarity; workers' rights for all |
| Self-Enhancement | 2 | Not ambitious personally; collective focus |
| Openness to Change | 2 | Change has been loss for workers |
| Conservation | 4 | Values working-class traditions, union heritage |
Top 3 values: Universalism (social justice), Benevolence, Tradition
Political Profile
- Historical voting: PCP consistently
- 2026 inclination: António Filipe (certain)—"our candidate"
- Key concerns: Workers' rights, wage stagnation, casualization of labor
"In Their Own Voice"
"They call us dinosaurs—the union, the communists, the working class. But who do they think builds the country? My father loaded cargo with his hands. I operate machines that replaced fifty men. My grandson will do what—drive Uber? The port made Setúbal. Now they want floating hotels instead of freight. Progress for who?"
Scenario Predictions
| Candidate | Response |
|---|---|
| Ventura | Strongly Negative—betrays workers with false populism |
| Gouveia e Melo | Negative—military, not labor background |
| Marques Mendes | Negative—right-wing, business interests |
| Seguro | Neutral—PS disappoints workers too |
| Catarina Martins | Moderately Positive—left solidarity, but BE not his tradition |
| António Filipe | Strongly Positive—PCP candidate, workers' voice |
| Cotrim Figueiredo | Strongly Negative—everything wrong with modern capitalism |