Union accuses government of not paying taxes to children of Portuguese workers abroad

The Union of Community Teachers of Luciadas said on Monday that the government is still not paying a contribution of 100 euros a year to the children of Portuguese workers abroad who attend Portuguese language courses.

According to the union, contrary to Article 75 of the Constitution of the Republic, “which contains the obligation of the Portuguese State to provide the children of Portuguese workers abroad with courses in their language and culture of origin”, the government continues to violate the obligation to pay the stamp duty.

The trade union structure pointed out that “this is already the third government that insists on maintaining the obligation to pay a frequency fee of 100 euros per year for courses attended by the majority of Portuguese students and descendants of the Portuguese.”

However, the Portuguese language courses “which are attended only or mostly by students of other nationalities are free of charge,” he adds in a statement.

“This open discrimination, which has already caused the disappearance of more than 18,000 students since 2013 when it was introduced, has led to the ‘loss’ of several jobs and an increase in the number of part-time schedules in the Portuguese Language Teaching Abroad (EPE) system, basic courses and secondary education is now about half what it was in 2010, will soon be strengthened by a new measure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. [MNE]”, he referred.

According to the union, the EPE’s top body will allow “a subsidy to Portuguese diplomats to cover the cost of educating their children while they are on duty abroad.”

Until now, “a subsidy of 80% of school expenses has only been provided when the persons mentioned were in Portugal, and this period could last for several months”, but “soon there will also be” a new subsidy.

It should be noted that the Portuguese state covers all expenses for travel, travel and other expenses of diplomats, including expenses related to the household, refers to the trade union structure.

But, and since 2011, with the transition to the care of the MNE/Camões – Instituto da Cooperacao e da Língua, “teachers are denied the installation and return allowances provided for by current legislation, but paid only to teaching coordinators and readers, who are also reimbursed for travel expenses their families,” he said.

For the union, MNE as an employer should not be congratulated because the Diplomatic Career Statute is yet to be updated, as is the EPE Teachers’ Legal Regime, with both remuneration tables in urgent need of revision.

But they found “obvious and unacceptable favoritism towards diplomats, learning coordinators, readers, and international students.”

Because with the universe shrinking from 312 professors and 50 readers around the world, if the guardianship paid what they owe, the costs would not be “definitely astronomical.”

According to the union, therefore, “the firm intention to continue to cut costs for Portuguese teachers and students is clear.”