The Prosecutor General respects the right to strike, which is constitutionally enshrined, and understands the concerns of magistrates who are already overburdened with work. In an effort to prevent the strike, a meeting with the Justice Minister has been requested, scheduled for this week, according to a response from the Attorney General’s Office.
Details of the meeting with Rita Alarcão Júdice were shared on Tuesday, but no specific time or date was provided. The Ministry of Justice also refrained from providing details, citing a “reserved agenda” not meant for the public.
The Public Prosecutors’ Union (SMMP) announced a nationwide strike for July 9 and 10, with regional strikes on July 11, 14, and 15, in protest of the magistrates’ movement. The union also plans to adopt other forms of protest starting September 1.
During a special general assembly, it was recommended that the union leadership initiate legal action to challenge the movement’s resolution and the corresponding precautionary measure.
The upcoming Public Prosecutors’ movement, effective from September, has been contested by the SMMP. The union accused the Superior Council of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (CSMP) of damaging specialization by requiring prosecutors to cover civil, criminal, and family issues.
The dispute stems from a notice published on June 4 in the official gazette, listing positions across various departments and courts for prosecutors, effective September.
The SMMP criticized the CSMP for creating a “multitask” and generalist magistracy, arguing that such aggregations of duties undermine the desired specialization, with combinations like execution and civil matters across different municipalities, or family and criminal matters in one place.
Following a meeting with the SMMP, Prosecutor-General Amadeu Guerra pledged to address the issue with the CSMP, which he chairs. He proposed that while maintaining the movement, some adjustments would be made to prevent arbitrary decisions and alleviate the workload on prosecutors.
Under the approved changes, any additional functions assigned by a district coordinator must undergo a hierarchy of approval, and be reported to the respective regional prosecutor-general and the CSMP. This alignment with one of the union’s requests was acknowledged by Amadeu Guerra as significant.
The SMMP expressed deep regret over the decision to maintain the current rules governing this year’s magistrates’ movement, declaring its intention to continue its protest efforts to overturn the decision.
