“If all goes well, I think on Monday they can start requesting their salary,” stated the vice-president of the Azorean executive, Artur Lima, during a press conference in Angra do Heroísmo.
Portuguese workers at Lajes Base, on Terceira Island, serving USFORAZORES, did not receive their pay for the last fortnight on October 27, and the prior salary was paid with a four-day deduction due to the partial shutdown of the U.S. administration as the federal budget had not been approved.
A resolution from the Governing Council, published today in the Official Journal and approved on Tuesday, authorizes the Azorean Social Security Institute (ISSA) to establish financing contracts with banking institutions, up to a limit of 1.2 million euros, to advance the overdue salaries of workers at Lajes Base.
According to Artur Lima, 363 workers are affected, as about 70 have already received their wages.
In the coming days, a regulation will be published and workers will be able to approach Social Security to access the advance.
“Workers who wish, voluntarily, can go to Social Security, bring their pay slip, present the necessary documents, and the respective overdue wage will be transferred to their account,” explained the official.
As per the vice-president of the Regional Government, the process will be “simple and confidential” and will incur no cost to the worker.
The expenses with the banks “will be covered by the Republic Government, as per the commitment made by the prime minister to the president of the Regional Government.”
Workers opting to use this mechanism will later have to “return the amount received 10 working days after the American government proceeds with the payment of the respective salary.”
The 1.2 million euro figure mentioned in the Governing Council’s resolution is an “estimate for two fortnights,” with the possibility of advancing the fortnight of October 27 and the next one if it is not paid by November 10.
“The proposal now presented is temporary, intended to immediately resolve the situation of these compatriots and will give the Republic Government time to design a long-term solution, should the external situation persist,” stated Artur Lima.
On Tuesday, the president of the Azorean Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, mentioned that the Azorean executive would advance overdue salaries if no solution was found by the time of the next fortnight’s payment.
When asked about these statements, the vice-president of the Azorean executive remarked that when José Manuel Bolieiro spoke to journalists, the solution was “still being designed,” and the final proposal was only finalized on Tuesday evening.
“It was a very dynamic, very evolving, very fast process. Several alternatives were considered, which fortnight we would pay, whether it was the past or the next one… It was a process with advances and retreats until this very successful solution was reached,” he explained.
Artur Lima disclosed that “since Thursday,” the vice-presidency’s office had been working on a solution in collaboration with the work commission of Lajes Base, the Portuguese and American commands, ISSA, banks, and other entities.
When questioned about whether this intervention by the Azorean executive could set a precedent for other situations of non-compliance by private companies, the official argued that it is a “different situation” within the scope of an “agreement between two States.”
“It is an exceptional and extraordinary situation due to the importance of Lajes Base, where the Regional Government understood it should temporarily step in for the Republic Government, which abandoned these citizens,” he emphasized.
