Left bloc against the return of compulsory military service

The BE coordinator this Monday spoke out against the return of compulsory military service, considering that there is “no consensus” on the issue, and called for the creation of a career for firefighters.

At a press conference at BE’s national headquarters in Lisbon following a meeting with the League of Portuguese Firefighters (LBP), Mariana Mortagua was asked about a possible return from compulsory military service after the Chiefs of the Navy and Army General Staff asked to reconsider the possibility.

“BE rules out that possibility, in fact it was ruled out in Portugal a few years ago and I think there is no consensus on bringing it back,” he responded.

The BE leader stressed that the issue had been addressed during the election campaign and it did not seem to her that “there is any desire on the part of most parties to reintroduce compulsory military service in Portugal.”

Regarding the meeting with the LBP, Mariana Mortagua noted that a number of the firefighters’ demands “have dragged on,” emphasizing that “the most controversial case that was resolved recently concerns the payment of emergency medical services and the use of ambulances when transporting patients.”

However, the BE leader stressed that “other issues remain” which also align with the party’s commitments in this legislature, particularly in relation to “firefighter careers”.

“Part of this service is provided by volunteers, the other part is no longer provided by volunteers, and it’s good that this is so, because these are professional firefighters. Despite this, there is no career path, which makes it very difficult to attract new people into the profession,” he stressed, adding that there is a “funding gap for firefighters” that threatens the sustainability of the profession.

In turn, LBP vice-president Eduardo Correia said that the association has initiated a series of BE meetings with all political parties, the purpose of which is to convey the “main concerns” of Portuguese firefighters.

Eduardo Correia said the biggest concern “is the issue of careers for firefighters,” noting that there are several occupational categories that require better career conditions, and firefighters do not do so because “there are simply no careers.”

The LBP vice-president argued that there was a need to create careers for firefighters to “stabilize those who exist and find a way to prevent them from leaving for other organizations” as well as to attract more people into the sector.

Eduardo Correia warned that firefighters do not have the weapons that the GNR, PSP, INEM and ICNF “should offer for a career,” so it is important not to allow professionals who want to pursue the profession to “flee to other organizations.”

When asked if he had any example of a career that firefighters would like to have, Eduardo Correia cited the example of pre-hospital training at INEM or forestry engineering at ICNF.

This Friday, in an article in Expresso, the Chief of Naval Staff, Enrique Gouveia e Melo, said that it may be necessary to “rethink compulsory military service or another more suitable option” in order to “balance the costs.” ratio of results” and “ensure greater availability of the population for defense.”

This position was shared by Army Chief of Staff Eduardo Ferran, who, in a statement to Expresso, argued that “the resumption of compulsory military service is justified and requires study and evaluation from various points of view.”