The Secretary of State for Public Administration, Marisa Garrido, is set to meet with the three Public Service unions today in Lisbon, marking the first gathering in the negotiation process concerning the general salary update for 2026.
The Federation of Public Administration Unions and Entities with Public Ends (Fesap) is scheduled to meet first at 9:00 AM, followed by the Union Front, led by the State Technical Staff Union (STE), at 10:30 AM, and the National Federation of Unions of Public and Social Functions Workers (Common Front) at 12:00 PM.
The Government’s Plan
During the meeting, the Government will present an initial proposal that includes extending the multi-annual agreement for the appreciation of public administration workers until 2029, as the current agreement only runs until 2028, according to a government source.
This extension is one of the union structures’ demands. Both Fesap and the Union Front, affiliated with UGT, have already expressed their willingness to review the existing agreement to cover the full legislative term.
However, the general secretary of the Common Front, Sebastião Santana, stated on Thursday that he would not sign an agreement like those “signed last year with the UGT,” adding that last year’s deal was “an agreement of impoverishment.”
“We will sign an agreement that certainly values workers’ labor and begins to recover purchasing power,” he insisted.
Currently, the national minimum wage is 870 euros, and the basic salary for Public Administration (commonly known as the State’s minimum wage) is 878.41 euros.
In November 2024, the Government signed a new multi-annual agreement with two public service union structures (Fesap and Union Front) for valuing public administration workers.
The agreement stipulates increases of at least 56.58 euros for gross monthly salaries of up to 2,631.62 euros and a minimum of 2.15% for higher salaries in 2026.
For 2027 and 2028, the agreement sets an increase of at least 60.52 euros or a minimum of 2.3%.
The Union Front, led by STE, is calling for a 6.4% salary increase for all public employees in 2026 and an update of the meal allowance to 12 euros.
Meanwhile, Fesap proposes that the basic salary in public administration rise to 973.41 euros in 2026 and a minimum update of 95 euros for all workers, in addition to an increase in the meal subsidy to 10 euros per day, tax-free.
Conversely, the Common Front demands a 15% wage increase with a minimum of 150 euros from January 1, alongside an update of the meal subsidy to 12 euros.
