PSP and GNR platform criticises government’s lack of political will

A representative of the platform of trade unions and associations PSP and GNR considered that the Prime Minister’s statements about the risk subsidy showed a “lack of political will”, expressing doubts about the possibility of reaching an agreement.

Negotiations “are not a priority from a political point of view. Because if there is a will and there is a priority, I want to believe that it will be possible to go ahead and sign an agreement. If this agreement is not possible, I have great doubts that it can be celebrated or agreed upon, and we will necessarily have to continue to defend what we consider a minimum of justice,” Bruno Pereira told reporters on the sidelines of an event dedicated to the 157th anniversary of Public Security. Police, which took place today in Torres Novas, in the district of Santarém.

The prime minister said the government would not invest “one cent” in the security forces proposal, saying it had already made “terrible efforts” and was unable to “bring back financial instability”.

Negotiations between the government and the PSP and GNR unions on the allocation of a risk subsidy have remained without agreement after three months, after the Ministry of the Interior proposed an increase of 300 euros in the PSP and GNR risk supplement, an amount that would be paid in stages until 2026, increasing the fixed supplement from the current 100 to 400 euros, while also maintaining the variable part at 20% of the basic salary.

As a counterweight, the platform of the PSP trade unions and the GNR associations, which initially asked for a €600 increase, is now proposing a €400 increase, paid in three installments: €200 this year, €100 in 2025 and another €100 in 2026.

The spokesman said the government’s proposed €300, while “not a pittance”, was still “insufficient”, noting that better budget management would have supported the wage increase.

“With all due understanding towards the government forces, we believe that 400 euros is quite affordable. It is important to have measures that allow us to save money, and these saved money can be used for this salary increase. It is a question of the desire to do more and differently,” he said.

Asked about statements by Chega President André Ventura, who called on all police and security forces to mobilize in parliament on Thursday, the day the party will present proposals for the sector, the spokesman defended the civilian participation of police officers, including their presence in the Assembly of the Republic to discuss issues related to their professional class.

“Civic participation is something that is not limited to the police, and therefore the opportunity to come to the Assembly of the Republic to participate in a debate on something they consider important does not seem to be a subject of criticism, but rather praise is a matter of individual decision for each police officer,” he concluded.