“It is hardly befitting of a prime minister, on the eve of a general strike, to engage in this sort of auction of salary increases. These should be discussed and assessed based on the country’s economic growth and future forecasts, within the framework of social dialogue,” he stated.
José Luís Carneiro was speaking to journalists ahead of attending the session “Mário Soares – Words and Images” in Lisbon, held to mark what would have been the 101st birthday of the PS founder and former President and Prime Minister.
The PS secretary-general emphasized that it is everyone’s aim to provide better living conditions and wages for workers, noting his own advocacy for an average salary of “around 2,500 euros” by 2035.
“Now, the way the prime minister is presenting these proposals does not honor the sense of commitment and the integrity expected when making promises to workers, who do not deserve this while their representatives are preparing to make a very considered decision regarding a general strike,” he criticized.
On Saturday, speaking at the X National Congress of Social-Democratic Mayors (ASD) in Porto, Prime Minister and PSD President Luís Montenegro raised the salary goals for the country, mentioning a minimum wage of 1,600 euros and an average wage of 3,000 euros, a day after citing lower figures.
“We do not want to grow by 2% a year. We want to grow by 3%, 3.5%, 4%. We want the minimum wage not just to reach 1,100 [euros]. That is the goal for this legislature, but we want more. We want it to reach 1,500 or 1,600,” he said.
The prime minister, who on Friday had suggested using the potential change in labor laws to raise the minimum wage to 1,500 euros and the average to 2,000 or 2,500, the next day declared he did not want “the average salary to reach 1,600 or 1,700,” but instead to “reach 2,500, 2,800 or 3,000 euros.”
The prime minister and PSD president, Luís Montenegro, increased today the salary goals for the country, now speaking of a minimum wage of 1,600 euros and an average of 3,000 euros, a day after mentioning lower figures.
Lusa | 19:28 – 06/12/2025
