Minister of Internal Administration warns firefighters: “It is at the negotiation table that agreements are made”
The Minister of Internal Administration, Margarida Blasco, stated that firefighters “are currently at the negotiating table” and that these talks “will continue”, remembering that these professionals “are trying to have the status of firefighter” and that these demands “ they have lasted for 22 years.”
The statements were made in reaction to the protest by firefighter sappers who This Wednesday, they invaded the steps of the Assembly of the Republicin Lisbon, in a protest demanding salary adjustments and regulation of working hours.
According to the minister, negotiations with firefighters “are progressing at a good pace” and the last meeting took place last Friday. “There are several negotiations in order to reach a successful conclusion regarding the status of firefighters”, highlighted the minister.
“It is at the negotiation table that agreements are made and this Government has demonstrated this. He has already negotiated with security forces, nurses, court officials, prison guards and the armed forces,” he stated.
Margarida Blasco also praised the role of the security forces in this Wednesday’s protest. “Regarding the elements of the security forces, a word of appreciation for the way they defended and maintained public peace in front of a sovereign body, such as the Assembly.”
The National Union of Firefighters Sapadores (SNBS) expects more than a thousand protesters, coming from all over the country, at the concentration in São Bento, which began at noon to the sound of heavy metal and rock n’roll. “Fighting sappers” is the phrase written on the black t-shirts that many wear.
Some of the firefighters, in uniform, began to climb the steps of the Assembly of the Republic, in Lisbon, always accompanied by PSP agents, who tried to maintain a cordon to stop them.
According to the president of the National Union of Firefighters Sapadores, Ricardo Cunha, the origin of this Wednesday’s protest is the lack of salary appreciation for unrevised Public Service careers and a 2023 commitment from the previous Government to carry out this appreciation retroactively to January of 2023, which was not fulfilled and which the current Government also did not implement, despite the warning made by the union in May.
“At the time, the union requested that the update be 104 euros. Firefighters were among the people who lost the most purchasing power compared to the national minimum wage (SMN). In 2002, a firefighter earned 2.5 times the national minimum wage and now earns little more than 50 euros above the SMN. It is regrettable that there is no response from governments to these requests from firefighters”, he said, quoted by Lusa.
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Parties react to the protest
In Parliament, the parliamentary leader of the PSD defended that the Government has been talking “with various careers in public administration” and “correcting successive inequalities that have accumulated over the last eight years”, but “it is not possible to solve all the problems at once”. same time.” “Firefighters know that they are in negotiations with the Government, which must take place with modesty. We hope they can reach a successful conclusion”, declared Hugo Soares. The social democrat also criticized André Ventura for, in his “eagerness” to capture votes, “riding legitimate discontent” and demonstrating “total ignorance and unpreparedness”.
The leader of Chega accused the Government of “taking no responsibility” and of having failed “across the board”. Firefighters “are paid miserably” and “want dignity”, noted André Ventura, considering that “they are treated like criminals”. “We are on their side. We will not give up until these men and women have the career they deserve”, he guaranteed. “They are not being violent, they are defending their cause, which is ours too.”
For the Socialist Party, the protest “has to be carried out in obedience to the law and the right” and “some boundaries have been crossed”, according to André Rijo. The deputy highlighted that the party recently received “two entities representing firefighter sappers” and a third meeting is scheduled for Thursday, in addition to the parliamentary group having already prepared two initiatives that it will present in Parliament, on sappers and volunteers.
The parliamentary leader of the Liberal Initiative called for dialogue and stressed that the State “has to safeguard its primary functions”, such as security. “You cannot continue to spend millions in situations like TAP and Efacec and then leave the essential functions completely abandoned. This is proof that they have been abandoned for decades”, declared Mariana Leitão. The liberal also acknowledged that “some excesses were committed” in the protest.
The parliamentary leader of the Left Bloc defended that the sappers “are full of reason”. “We understand your anger and indignation. Your demands are more than fair. The least the Government can do is treat them with dignity and it has not done so”, pointed out Fabian Figueiredo. “We are preparing a package that we will present in the coming days in the Assembly of the Republic. We hope that this problem will be resolved once and for all”, he added.
Representative Alfredo Maia highlighted that “the PCP did not arrive at this debate today, it has already had initiatives for a long time”. The party “has already presented two diplomas that will be discussed from today to eight days in plenary: one relating to the recognition of the profession as one of special risk and hardship and the other relating to the review of the firefighter’s social status”, highlighted the communist.
The PAN deputy says she is supportive of the “more than fair” demands. “We must ensure that these professionals have their right to risk allowance, a fast-growing profession and early retirement recognized, but also to the enhancement of their careers”, said Inês Sousa Real.
