The Common Front of Civil Service Unions announced this Monday a national workers’ strike on October 27, reiterating that the government’s offer of a 52-euro wage increase is “pathetic.”
“The government’s counter-proposal is pathetic given the country’s ability to respond at the moment, it offers €52 with a 3% increase and means it forces public administration workers further into poverty. The workers categorically reject this path, and we have decided to call a national strike of public administration workers for October 27,” said Sebastian Santana, coordinator of the Common Front, at a press conference in Lisbon.
The Common Front has presented the government with a proposal for a wage review of at least 15%, with a minimum increase of €150 per worker, which it supports.
“This strike will happen because the workers were pushed there because the government, having decisions, decided not to implement them,” defended Sebastian Santana, noting that the strike will take place before the discussion of the state budget as a whole. next year and that it is in the hands of the government “to change its proposal and break this path of impoverishment once and for all.”
The trade union structure also emphasized that, in addition to the issue of wages, the government also does not present changes in other monetary issues, such as food subsidies or daily allowances, the unfreezing of which has already been announced, no changes are predicted. relative to the value that has been maintained since 2009.
The common front calls for a minimum wage in the civil service to be set at 920 euros from January 2024 and raised to 1,000 euros next year, as well as an increase in the food allowance to 10.50 euros.
Negotiations with the government will continue, and the trade union structure has already requested an additional meeting, which should take place in the coming days.
If no change is made to the government proposal, “or the change does not meet the needs of the moment,” the Common Front predicts strong support for a strike that could affect all public services, including hospitals and schools.
On Friday, the government presented a new wage proposal to civil servants’ unions, keeping the increase at 52.11 euros, but at least 3% compared to the previous 2%.
In percentage terms, this increase in the salary base of approximately €52 represents an update of 6.8%.
In addition to the annual wage increase, the government proposal envisages measures that will be included in OE2024, which will be presented on Tuesday to the Assembly of the Republic, such as an end to the cuts in daily allowance and transport subsidies that came into force since (December 2010), the measure, cost which next year will amount to 21 million euros.
The government is also proposing to restore the amount of overtime pay to 100 hours per year, as provided for in the Decent Work Agenda, a measure with an estimated cost of €25 million in 2024.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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