After an intense negotiation process that lasted around three months, the government and six trade unions representing the sapper firefighters reached an agreement today. Minister for Cohesion, Castro Almeida, described it as “a good agreement” which provides for an “overall increase of 37%” in a career which, he stressed, “hasn’t been reviewed for 22 years”. The National Syndicate of Sapper Firefighters (SNBS) and the Independent Syndicate of Forest, Environment and Civil Protection Workers, did not sign the agreement. Castro Almeida stressed the government is not in a position to force people who don’t want to negotiate to the table.
Agreement at last with sapper firefighters – at least, most of them
Sapper firefighters staged a number of protests before this agreement was announced. Image: José Sena Goulão/ Lusa
