“It was another meeting where the Government only admitted to increasing the meal subsidy by 2026,” said José Abraão, adding, however, that the executive did not present any proposal or specific amount.
In the last meeting, the Government had proposed an increase in the meal subsidy for public service by 10 cents per year starting in 2027, aiming to reach €6.30 in 2029.
However, if the 10-cent proposal remains and even with the advancement to next year, Fesap warns that it will not be sufficient to reach a new agreement.
“We hope that the 10 cents can clearly be more than what they have presented to us, ridiculous as it was,” stated José Abraão, while acknowledging the executive’s willingness to increase the meal subsidy next year.
When asked if 10 cents would be sufficient, he countered: “You understood from the first minute when we told you that 10 cents do not buy a loaf,” and if the Government does not come “forward with a bit of butter, cheese, or something else to put on the bread, we certainly cannot accept it.”
In the list of demands, Fesap, affiliated with UGT, advocates increasing the meal allowance to €10 per day, tax-free by 2026, in addition to raising the basic salary in public administration to €973.41 and a minimum update of €95 for all workers.
The general secretary of Fesap also reiterated his willingness to continue negotiating towards a new multi-annual agreement to enhance the public administration workers’ valuation, which should cover other issues, including enhancing the careers of “municipal police officers, municipal inspectors, lifeguard technicians,” increasing per diem allowances, “a new career progression accelerator for those who only experienced a freeze” or reinstating the three vacation days abolished during the troika, as well as the five ‘cold leave’ days, he listed.
Despite Fesap’s willingness to negotiate within this process, José Abraão sees no reason for this union to refrain from joining the general strike announced for December 11 against the draft labor reform proposed by the Government, considering “the Labour Code also applies to thousands of public administration workers.”
Regarding this specific negotiation process, the general secretary of Fesap indicated there will be a national secretariat meeting on November 20, and he hopes that by then the Government will clarify the proposal, but he emphasizes that the entity “is always available to protest and to fight.”
The Government has shown its willingness to move forward with a new multi-year agreement, having proposed, among other measures, salary increases of 2.30%, with a minimum of €60.52 in 2029, as well as including other matters, namely “the review of the current per diem allowances regime,” review of SIADAP, and the remuneration statute of management personnel.
The current agreement, signed in November 2024 with two public service union structures (Fesap and Frente Sindical), provides for increases of 2.15%, with a minimum of €56.58 for 2026.
For 2027 and 2028, the agreement establishes increases of 2.3%, with a minimum of €60.52.
