The rectors are demanding that the government honor the agreement it has reached with the universities by increasing funds by 5% to cover new spending such as the announced salary increase.
“We are only asking them to do what they have promised. We have an agreement signed with the people in good faith, and we ask the government to reread the agreement and implement it, because we are reaching a situation where we will not be able to withstand it,” said Luse, President of the Council of Portuguese Universities Rectors (CRUP), António Sousa Pereira.
This is the “Contract of the legislature” signed between higher education institutions (HEIs) and the government, which provides for an increase in the budget whenever inflation exceeds 2%, or when the government takes initiatives to justify it.
At the moment, institutions are facing two situations: inflation and the announcement of measures that are expressed in increased costs.
At the end of last year, when the budget for universities was already determined in the State Budget for 2023 (OE2023), the government announced a reorientation of the careers of senior technical specialists and carried out a new update of the national minimum wage.
Already this year, a decision was made to increase the salaries of civil servants, as well as to increase the size of the food subsidy.
“The Minister of Finance announced on Tuesday in the Assembly of the Republic that from May 20, the income of civil servants will have to include extraordinary increases retroactive to January: however, it happens that higher education institutions do not have this money!” the President warned CRUP.
António Sousa Pereira guaranteed that no worker would be left without an announced pay increase, but warned that institutions somewhere would have to cut it if the guardianship authorities did not quickly correct the situation.
According to CRUP calculations, the additional costs caused by government decisions exceed 3% of the total amount allocated to universities in accordance with OE2023, to this amount must also be added the costs, the increase of which exceeds 2%.
“As a principle of good governance, the last thing we want to compromise is the payment of wages,” he stressed, adding, however, that in order to guarantee the payment of wages, they would have to “cut other items.”
Affected areas can range from the suspension of needed refurbishment to building maintenance and even, at the limit, school social action.
“Social Action, for example, is experiencing very great difficulties,” the rector of the University of Porto also warned, explaining that inflation has a direct impact on canteens and residential buildings.
If the payment of scholarships to the most needy students comes directly from the state to the students, then the functioning of canteens or student hostels depends on the budget of the university.
“Canteens are struggling to keep companies at the same prices,” the CRUP president stressed, recalling that an increase in demand for dishes served in canteens is added to inflation, while the basic food basket has grown by about 45 euros in just one month. year.
Therefore, the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities decided to demand from the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, “an additional budget allocation of at least 5%”.
The decision was made at the plenary meeting of the CRUP, the letter has already been sent to the guardianship authorities.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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