The National Police Union (Sinapol) this Thursday challenged the interior minister’s claims about per diems paid to police officers during World Youth Day, arguing that an agent would receive 10 euros a day.
“We asked the Minister of the Interior if he thinks it is fair and appropriate that a police officer actually receives about 10 euros a day without a premium for working on World Youth Day a few days from home, from family and without the right to be on vacation,” explains Sinapol in a statement sent to Luce.
Sinapol’s reaction comes after José Luis Carneiro assured Parliament on Tuesday that the police involved in the security of the WYD will be reduced working hours, rewarded for exceptional work and paid 100% per diems.
“Border control, operational reinforcement, pay conditions for exceptional work, 100 percent daily allowance for internally displaced persons, work shifts reduced from eight hours to six hours, housing, transportation, food, articulation with a Special device for extinguishing rural fires and checking communications networks are one of the important issues that were resolved in a timely manner,” the minister said during a hearing at the parliamentary commission on constitutional issues, rights, freedoms and guarantees.
For the union, the police will not have “fair compensation for the work they will do at the WYD”, after the calculations.
“For six days, the police will be entitled to said allowances of 100%, i.e. 43.39 euros per day, and in accordance with the requirements of the law, 43.39 euros are automatically deducted for each day of due diligence, the cost of six euros, which corresponds to food subsidies, since the per diem already includes the amount intended for food, so both bonuses cannot be paid cumulatively,” he explained.
Sinapol adds that “in reality, the daily cost that each policeman will earn in the form of daily allowance will be 37.39 euros”, from which all expenses related to accommodation and meals will still have to be deducted.
“Although the Minister announced the provision of accommodation, he forgot to indicate that this accommodation will not be free, but will be borne by the police themselves, as well as the need to pay for at least three of the four traditional daily meals, since the WYD Organizing Committee, in principle, will offer only one free meal a day, not four,” Sinapol points out.
The union also mentions that for two years it has consistently warned the guardianship authorities about the low per diem amounts paid to police officers with due diligence, since since 2013 they “have not been updated” and therefore are “completely unrelated to economic reality.” and finances of the country.
The National Director of the Public Security Police has already announced that more than 10,000 police officers will be mobilized to provide security and protection for the WYD, which will be held in Lisbon in the first week of August.
Of the 10,000 police officers, 2,700 came from other commands in the country to reinforce the Lisbon Metropolitan Command, which has about 7,000 members.
Considered the biggest event of the Catholic Church, WYD will take place from 1 to 6 August in Lisbon and is expected to be attended by about 1.5 million people.
This year the event will be attended by Pope Francis, who will be in Portugal from 2 to 6 August.
The WYD in Lisbon was originally scheduled for 2022 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CMP // JPS
Portuguese/Late