More and more families are turning to agencies in the Azores for help.

This Monday, the Union of Industrial, Commerce, Office, Hotel and Tourism Workers warned that due to the current economic situation, “more and more” Azoreans and families are asking for help or are homeless.

“Even for those who doubt the statistics, the reality is undeniable: more and more Azoreans are turning to the Food Bank, Caritas and other institutions, asking for help from family and friends, begging or experiencing homelessness,” states the Union of Manufacturing, Food and Beverage Workers industry, beverage and similar industries, trade, offices and services, hospitality and tourism, transport and other services of the Azores (SITACEHTT/Azores).

In a press release, the union states that it is “increasingly concerned about the social and economic situation in the Azores,” especially the situation of families, especially the most disadvantaged, with “a serious situation of poverty and social exclusion.”

“Poverty is obvious, and the first way to combat it is to be humble and acknowledge it,” states SITACEHTT.

Referring to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), presented in the Survey of Living Conditions and Income, the union recalls that the risk of poverty in the Azores “increased to 26.1%”, making the archipelago the region with the “highest level poverty.”

“Azorean families continue to find themselves in a situation of real poverty because the income from the work of family members is not enough to guarantee their existence,” the union notes, warning that workers in the Azores are “exacerbated by the higher cost of living.” isolation” and a regional labor market that is “essentially based on precarious work and a low-wage model.”

“Having a job is no longer enough to escape poverty,” the statement said.

According to SITACEHTT/Açores, “low wages contrast with the level of accumulation and centralization of large companies,” highlighting in particular the situation in the hotel and commercial sectors.

The union is advocating as one of the workers’ demands before the next regional government, which leaves the regions until February 4, an increase in the value of the regional supplement to the national minimum wage from 5% to 10%. , medium- and long-term measures to “reconcile the professional, personal and family lives” of Azorean workers.

“Improving the incomes of Azorean workers and families stimulates consumption, which contributes to increased production and company sales, creating more jobs and economic growth. At the same time, this increase also has a positive impact on economic growth. social security contributions that help improve the financial sustainability of the system,” the union argues.

SITACEHTT is committed to fighting for a reduction in the maximum normal working hours to 35 hours per week for “all workers in the Azores, without increasing daily working hours and without reducing wages.”