The government proposes to increase up to 4.90 euros for meals in public canteens

This Friday, the government proposed to civil servants’ unions to increase the selling price of the standard meals that will be provided in canteens to workers and public service bodies from the current 4.10 euros to 4.90 euros.

“The selling price of a standard lunch for public administration employees in canteen services and central and local governments, as well as public institutions that are in the nature of personalized services or public funds, is set at 4.90 euros. (four euros ninety cents), including value added tax”, can be read in the proposal to which Lusa had access.

The price has not been updated since 2012, José Abraão, leader of the Federation of Unions for Public Administration and Organizations for Public Purposes (Fesap), told Lusa.

“However, I don’t think now is the right time to update prices at a time when inflation is huge and people have less and less money,” the union leader said.

José Abraao recalled that the food subsidy for civil servants was increased this year by “only 43 cents” to 5.20 euros, while the proposal to increase the price of food is 80 cents. That is, the increase in food subsidy does not match the proposed increase in the cost of food.

The government’s proposal, presented to the most representative unions of public administration workers at meetings this Friday at the Ministry of the Presidency in Lisbon, also sets the selling price for meals to be paid by public administration pensioners at 2.45 euros.

According to José Abraao, at the meeting, the government reported that the social services of the public administration serve 635,000 meals a year, which means that an addition to 80 cents of meals for workers will give about 500,000 euros per year”, the value that the state or services should support at this time.