Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces dismisses police as “ultra-crepidarians”
Police unions are whipping themselves up into a fervour over the fact that the government has increased salaries for the military, in line with their own.
Acknowledging that the salary increases are fair, the unions claim what isn’t is that the armed forces are on an equal footing with police now – something they believe to be “an insult”.
In a world in which people are constantly lectured on the need to be pluralistic and inclusive, this makes no sense: “The armed forces increase is fair, but police deserve more…”
Indeed, asked his opinion on the police threats now coming thick and fast, chief of the Armed Forces general José Nunes da Fonseca said “sadly the world is full of ultra-crepidarians” (meaning people with little knowledge of what they are talking about…)
This sentiment is unlikely to go down well with union leaders of the security forces who are “promising to show massive displeasure” if the government refuses to reopen negotiations, closed only a few weeks ago.
Minister for Internal Affairs Margarida Blasco has already guaranteed that negotiations “are closed” – thus we are entering August with temperatures, on all sides, running high.
SINAPOL – Sindicato Nacional da Polícia (National Police Union) has suggested that by giving the military a pay rise, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro made a ‘bigger’ mistake than António Costa when the latter increased the PJ’s risk allowance, leaving other police forces out.
As SINAPOL’s union leader Armando Ferreira said over the weekend, police were led to believe there was no more money available for them – but then “suddenly there’s money to pay salary increases in the military”.
Far from seeing this as ‘fair do’s’, Ferreira views it as “an insult” – citing NATO regulations which he suggests preclude the armed forces earning more than police (which they aren’t….)
Nonetheless, Ferreira’s ire has fired up the Police Professionals Union (SPP/PSP) which has said police officers are being discriminated against.
The Independent Union of Police Officers (SIAP) has also weighed in, saying it considers the amount of the allowance agreed in negotiations with the government to be… “an insult – increasing discrimination between the sectors”.
What this is all about, explains SIC Notícias
“The police fought for months for equal pay with the PJ and, without success or unanimity, ended up signing an agreement with the government that provides for a phased increase of €300 until 2026 in the risk supplement which is about half of what the PJ has received since the end of last year”, writes SIC.
“Now, almost a month after the negotiations were closed”, police have learned that much-desired salary parity – denied them vis-a-vis the PJ “due to lack of budget availability” has been authorised by the government in respect of the Armed Forces.
Had the defence minister not mentioned the words “salary parity” when the military pay increases were announced, none of this ugliness may have happened.
Certainly, Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Gouveia e Melo, has said his men and women feel their salary increases are just. (Bizarrely, Armando Ferreira has said he does too…)
