“We cannot continue to increase the number of workers. If we keep increasing the workers in public administration, we will not have better services,” remarked the minister during a parliamentary hearing on the State Budget proposal for 2026.
Miranda Sarmento noted that the number of employees increased by 100,000, yet public services did not improve, considering that “insisting on this formula is a mistake and a waste of Portuguese taxpayers’ money.”
The minister was also questioned by the PCP regarding pay raises for public employees amid a strike by the Common Front. However, he reiterated that these raises are not just a proposal but part of an agreement.
“We are not proposing these increases; last November, we reached an agreement with two out of three structures for salary increases between 2025 and 2028,” thereby establishing an “ongoing agreement” that the government “is adhering to.”
The minister also recalled the “enhancement of 19 career paths representing half of the public administration,” noting that the careers of workers such as police officers, teachers, doctors, and nurses have already been reviewed.
