The proposal suggested by Livre aimed to increase the meal allowance from the current six euros per day to 11 euros by 2026, arguing that “the accumulated loss of purchasing power fully justifies a new update” and “maintaining the exemption limit provided for meal vouchers.”
Conversely, the party led by Rui Tavares advocated for a consequential adjustment of the IRS exemption ceiling that applies to meal allowances when paid through a bank card, so that, in practice, allowances up to 14.3 euros become tax-exempt (30% above the reference value of 11 euros, instead of the 70% currently applied to the six euros).
Meanwhile, the PCP and the BE proposed that the meal allowance for public employees be increased to 12 euros per day by 2026.
For the communists, the update would “introduce justice in a component of remuneration that has not undergone any significant update for several years,” while the blocists argued that the “meal allowance should become a right for all workers, enshrining it in the Labor Code as mandatory.”
A proposal by Chega, which suggested updating the meal allowance to seven euros starting January 1, 2026, eight euros from January 2027, and nine euros from January 2028, making it not subject to IRS and social security taxation up to this amount, was also rejected, as stated in the submitted proposal.
Following persistent efforts from the unions, the Government confirmed its intention to increase the meal allowance for public employees in 2026, but did not specify the amount it will propose in the next meeting with trade unions.
Initially, it proposed an increase of the public sector meal allowance by 10 cents per year starting in 2027, aiming to reach 6.30 euros by 2029.
The unions called for more significant increases for Public Service workers, as well as the reinstatement of vacation days, but in reality, the Government only proposed raising the meal allowance by 10 cents per year from 2027, aiming to reach 6.30 euros per day by 2029.
Notícias ao Minuto with Lusa | 09:57 – 30/10/2025
This figure was contested by the unions, with the Common Front, affiliated with the CGTP, advocating for an increase of the meal allowance to 12 euros, while the STE and Fesap, both affiliated with the UGT, aspire for a rise to 10 euros.
