“What’s important is safeguarding jobs”, says Nuno Melo
Nuno Melo, Portugal’s minister of defence has today declined to answer whether the government is considering privatising “Arsenal do Alfeite”, the company that runs the Portuguese navy’s shipyard on its base at Alfeite, on the south bank of the River Tejo.
As Melo announced last month, the shipyard is technically bankrupt. Since he made that announcement, the entire board of directors has resigned.
The government’s priority now is to safeguard jobs.
Speaking to journalists at the end of a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Oeiras, Melo began by saying that any solution “will immediately pass” under the scrutiny of the prime minister, Luís Montenegro – who was standing beside him, at the time.
“What I can assure you in relation to Arsenal do Alfeite is that we will have a set of short-term priority solutions that will take into account the salvation of Arsenal do Alfeite and the safeguarding of jobs,” Melo stressed.
The shipyard “is strategic” and the aim is to turn a company “that today is full of problems” into a company that is “profitable in a highly competitive market and ensure that the Navy has this tool, without which it doesn’t exist.”
The minister declined to comment further on the issue, saying that he would not say anything more “until we get it right and have the prime minister’s agreement”. This won’t happen before officials have visited the shipyard to discuss a new action plan with the new management.
The government announced a new board of directors last week. The new board is now preparing the ‘action plan’.
When Nuno Melo first outlined the dire situation at the shipyard, he acknowledged that “numerous ships” had been held up well beyond the deadline for their maintenance, “causing great damage to the fulfilment of missions, and to the efficiency of the Portuguese Navy”.
Arsenal do Alfeite has experienced serious financial problems in the past, which led to delays in salaries and even Christmas bonuses in 2020 for the more than 400 workers who make up this company.
Source material: LUSA
