The only way to prevent the recurrence of massive protests nationwide is for the dismissal of the current minister and the appointment of a new political leader for the Ministry of Internal Administration, as it has become evident to the police force that the current minister does not possess the necessary political or institutional conditions to continue overseeing the security forces, stated the union in a communiqué.
The demand for Maria Lúcia Amaral’s resignation follows a general assembly held by Sinapol this morning, which also rejected the proposals made by the Minister of Internal Administration last week to the PSP unions and GNR associations.
Sinapol believes that the proposals and priorities announced by the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) are fraught with successive delaying tactics, revealing a lack of genuine commitment to solving the most urgent problem affecting the PSP police officers: the need for an immediate professional and salary appreciation, achievable only through an urgent revision of the PSP’s Professional Statute.
Should the government fail to immediately reassess the negotiation priorities concerning the public security sector, protests of a similar or even larger scale than those that occurred between November 2023 and March 2024 could quickly resurface, the union warned, having not signed the agreement with the government on risk subsidy increases in July 2024.
Sinapol emphasized that the prime minister now has to choose between dismissing the Minister of Internal Administration or maintaining a weakened minister, lacking political weight and clearly unable to ensure the stability and motivation of the security forces and unable to negotiate with the unions, risking a scenario of strong public dissent, demonstrations, and surgical protests by the police.
Sinapol also reaffirmed its complete willingness for serious, transparent, and immediate negotiations with the government.
The Association of Police Professionals Union (ASPP/PSP) also announced on Wednesday it would hold a protest near the prime minister’s residence on the day of the general strike, with assemblies at airports on December 18, and warned of more protests in January if the government doesn’t change its stance.
As part of the ongoing negotiations, the Ministry of Internal Administration has scheduled a new meeting with police unions for December 12, and the ASPP has already stated they will not be present, as they have withdrawn from negotiations.
During last Friday’s meeting, the Minister of Internal Administration presented an initial negotiation proposal to the PSP unions, including changes to paid services and announced that the special service supplement for police involved in criminal investigation and the Special Police Unit would be increased by 2.15% in January 2026.
GNR associations also left the meeting disappointed and have admitted the possibility of protests.
