Frustrated officers and NCOs call for ‘real round of talks’ over pay

Officers’ and NCOs’ associations expressed disappointment on Thursday after a meeting with the defence minister over pay issues, calling for a “genuine and legitimate round of negotiations” with the minister, like the security forces.

These positions were taken by the Armed Forces Officers Association (AOFA) and the National Association of NCOs (ANS), who were summoned on Wednesday to a meeting with the Assistant Secretary of State and National Defense, Álvaro Castelo Branco, on issues of “remuneration and salaries of military personnel.”

“AOFA is awaiting confirmation of readiness from the guardianship authorities to begin a genuine and legitimate round of negotiations on issues of socio-professional and subsidiary interests in relation to the servicemen of the Armed Forces and, in particular, officers of the Armed Forces,” reads a statement sent to the editorial board of the Association of Armed Forces Officers (AOFA).

According to this association, the meeting in question “did not constitute a process/procedure of a negotiating nature, since no issue was submitted previously or during the meeting for consideration in the form of a proposal that even indicated the outlines of a procedure of the type or similar to those developed in the context of social consultation or negotiations with a trade union or socio-professional organization, such as what happened with the professionals from the PSP, the GNR and the prison guards.”

According to AOFA, “a real social and institutional dialogue and a true expression of the exercise of the right to representation and collective bargaining that belongs to military professional associations will only take place in the presence of the Minister of National Defence”, Nuno Melo, at these meetings.

The National Association of Sergeants (ANS) also said in a statement that at the opening of the meeting the Secretary of State “recognised the need to review the pay system, with negotiations taking place within the government itself, and not to mention anything further”.

The sergeants said they were surprised that they were not shown “any document” and that the governor could not guarantee that this would happen at some stage.

“Also regarding possible changes in the military status supplement, which has generated so much anticipation, [o secretário de Estado] It was mentioned that it would be “quantitatively revised with the aim of increasing it as quickly as possible,” without being tied to the form and values ​​in which this would be done,” the text mentions.

ANS regrets that “the same government that recognises the right of representation and negotiation for structures representing professionals in the security forces and services” does not do the same for structures representing servicemen in the armed forces, and also demands that the Minister of Defence be present at these meetings.

“We cannot tolerate this repeated discriminatory treatment, contrary to what is defined by law, placing the servicemen of the Armed Forces in a subordinate position in relation to other professional groups, namely the special organs of the state. And even more so we do not recognize that the socio-professional representation of all servicemen in these matters is carried out by military leaders, since this function is nowhere assigned to them by law, and they cannot, and even less agree to, carry out this function for reasons of incompatibility, as employers appointed by the government themselves,” the sergeants are criticized.

ANS expects “change of position from MDN” [Ministério da Defesa Nacional] “to professional military associations in order to build a loyal, direct and honest dialogue, real negotiations between the two sides, which should be on the same side, and not in opposing camps,” the text says.

On July 11, following a NATO summit in Washington, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the government would “launch” a negotiation process with the military to increase the reward, without setting a figure but ensuring it would not jeopardize public accounts.