GNR police are planning protests for the New Year to follow the vigil they have already scheduled for outside the prime minister’s official residence next Thursday.
The problems are not just that the government appears to be ‘fudging’ the whole issue of salary scales, but in the completely blatant way that they are doing it.
The Minister for Interior Administration – already famous for keeping such a low profile over the wildfire season that she was practically invisible – appears to have no intention of negotiating.
“At the end of yet another meeting at the Ministry today, the ministry presented the GNR associations with news of a 2.15% increase in the shift supplement for next year, which, according to the César Nogueira, President of APG (the Association of Guard Professionals) translates into a monthly increase of just €3″, writes Lusa.
This increase is in addition to the increase announced at the previous meeting, also of 2.5% in January, in the special service supplement for military personnel working in criminal investigation and special units.
In other words, in the absence of meaningful negotiations, police are being drip fed ‘decisions from on high’ – and they don’t like it.
César Nogueira describes the strategy as the government “changing the remuneration status ‘piecemeal’ by starting with supplements (when) the entire status should be discussed”, namely base salaries.
Put simply, syndicates want a new pay scale – to be decided through negotiation. And until this happens, it will be back to waging actions of protest.
“APG will continue its protests until a total review of the remuneration statute is on the negotiating table,” Nogueira stressed.
Source: LUSA
