PM wants to give ‘good continuation’ to talks with police but warns against ‘unrealistic scenarios’

The Prime Minister assured this Friday that the government wants to make “good progress” in negotiations with the security forces, but warned against “unrealistic scenarios” and stressed that any changes would have consequences for the entire government.

Luis Montenegro spoke at the inauguration ceremony of the National Director of the Public Security Police (PSP), Superintendent Luis Carrillo, which took place at the Ministry of the Interior in Lisbon.

“Obviously, in order to be able to recruit more people into a police career, to retain more people into a police career, we have to make the career attractive, we have to value it in a complex context in which, unfortunately, we have this problem affecting the entire administrative the public,” he said.

According to Montenegro, “there are hundreds of thousands of public service providers in various areas who find themselves in the same circumstances.”

“Any change causes very significant changes to our accounts and the management of our budget,” he warned.

The Prime Minister said he did not want to “reduce the Government’s willingness” or “predisposition” to value careers in the security forces, but left a warning.

“We shouldn’t feed the public opinion with unrealistic scenarios, it leads to a relationship of mistrust when we tell the public that we can have something that we can’t have. The next moment we will upset the society,” he said.

Despite the warnings, the Prime Minister reiterated his “very strong intention in the short term” to give “good consistency to the negotiations, which were started with a sense of responsibility”, praising the minister’s “very commitment” Internal Administration Margarida Blasco led the process and indirectly demanded the same attitude on the other side of the negotiating table.

“We in the government are always the government, as are security agents, whether they work on the street, in associations or trade unions at the negotiating table,” he said, adding that “now is not the time for interviews, for reporting through social communications,” but not at homework.

At the ceremony, which was also attended by Justice Minister Rita Judice and Interior Minister Telmo Correia, Montenegro said police officers are assessed in other ways, such as training or improving physical conditions. .

“The physical conditions and equipment provided to many operatives are unworthy of them taking on the responsibility of exercising power on behalf of the state,” he said.

The prime minister assured that the government would “go beyond the minimum level of what is required as quickly as possible within the constraints of economic and financial terms” for security forces to exercise power on behalf of the state. .

On Thursday, a proposal was published by the platform bringing together the PSP unions and the GNR associations, which proposes an increase of around 600 euros by changing the current service and risk allowance in the security forces.

In addition to this cost, the PSP trade unions and the GNR socio-professional associations are in favor of maintaining a variable component of the bonus, which corresponds to 20% of the basic salary.

MAI proposed a new mission allowance for PSP and GNR elements ranging from €365.13 to €625.94.

The proposed allowance is based on the base salaries of the PSP National Director and the GNR Commander General and replaces the current Security Forces Service and Risk Allowance.

At the end of the meeting on Monday, a platform representative told Lusa that the PSP and GNR unions and associations would refuse negotiations with the government “unless there is an offer from MAI”, using “common sense”, and this is close to the values ​​they defend in addition to the mission .

The next meeting is scheduled for May 15.