Defense Minister says military pay upgrade could happen ‘very soon’

Defense Minister Nuno Melo said this Thursday in Torres Vedras that the salaries of the military could be updated “very soon”, asking them to wait “a few days” for the results, refusing to make promises.

“Very soon we will be able to have an update on what components of remuneration and not only have to do with the dignity of the Armed Forces and with retaliation, which is the very essence of the military state, in order to improve a little bit, to guarantee the recruitment of personnel and, above all, the retention of military personnel in the ranks,” said Nuno Melo.

According to the governor, “The armed forces must come first.”

The Minister of National Defence spoke at the celebration of the anniversary of the Institute for Social Action of the Armed Forces and the Social Support Centre (CAS) of the Armed Forces of Runa.

Asked by Lusa at the end of the ceremony, a government official declined to provide details, asking for “a few days’ wait.”

“I respond to criticism with work, and to speculation I respond with results, because the Armed Forces listen to promises for 20 years and in the end do not see results, and I prefer 120 days later. [de o Governo ter tomado posse]We present the results,” he explained.

Nuno Melo “ensured that the guardianship did in 115 days what had not been done in the last eight years, and in some cases in the last 15 or 20 years.”

“In 115 days, we have identified the problems that exist in the Armed Forces, because we are in constant contact with the heads of the branches of the armed forces and with the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. We are moving towards solutions and when we move towards solutions, we listen to how the law obliges associations,” he added.

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

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.

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.