On Monday, the Navy Chief of Staff expressed “very confidence” that the changes at the Alfeite arsenal would result in “more ready and capable” ships, stressing that the government was “very interested” in the process.
Speaking to reporters at the Alfeita Naval Base in Almada, after attending the launching ceremony of the frigate D. Francisco de Almeida for the NATO mission, Henrique Gouveia e Melo noted that the government is “very committed to solving the problem that Alfeita has created in the ship repair system.”
“And we’re very confident that we’re going to make that change so that we have ships that are more ready and more capable of doing our jobs in a timely manner,” he said.
Asked if he felt more at ease with the functioning of Alfeite and the salaries that need to be paid, Gouveia e Melo replied that “there is a process underway that will promote motivation and, of course, motivated forces with a greater desire to carry out their missions in different ways.”
“Such different actions are needed at moments like these, when Europe and the Western world are in danger, when we are all fighting for something as fundamental as our democracy and the Western world,” he said.
In these statements to journalists, Gouveia e Melo was also asked about the increase in the military allowance by 300 euros announced this Friday by the government. In his response, the Chief of Staff of the Navy (CEMA) considered that “it is important and fair”, stressing that “it has been asked for a long time”.
“The Navy was losing personnel because it could not sufficiently compensate for these personnel and motivate them to serve in the Armed Forces. A lot of time has passed since that happened, and these increases have occurred,” he said.
According to Gouveia and Melo, the promotion “is at least fair because, given what is required of the military, their total dedication and the effort required of them in times of high tension and complexity, it is fair that Portuguese society recognizes them as its own.”
“And one of the ways in which this role is recognized is through salaries, subsidies that are necessary to ensure that people are in the Armed Forces,” he said. Asked whether the increase was sufficient, CEMA responded: “The increase is fair.”
“The country is not a very rich country that can increase all professional classes in such a way, I would not say uncontrollably, but beyond what the deficit allows. And therefore, it is a fair balance, and we are very pleased with what has been achieved and achieved,” he said.
Gouveia e Melo said he had spoken to naval personnel just this morning and found them “quite satisfied and finally feeling that the government and the population that supports it are giving them their due.”
On July 19, the government announced that Arsenal do Alfeite had a new board of directors following the dismissal of the previous one, and determined that those in charge would urgently have to present a strategic and investment plan.
The announcement came about a month after Nuno Melo told a hearing in the Assembly of the Republic that he had received Arsenal do Alfeite as a “technical bankruptcy” and that he had taken out a loan of around two million euros to pay salaries and tax obligations.
Arsenal do Alfeite has already experienced serious financial problems in the past, which led to delays in wages and even Christmas bonuses in 2020 for the more than 400 workers who make up the company, responsible for the repair and maintenance of the Portuguese Navy’s ships.