Lisbon, Sept. 16, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese minister of labour has said that the Government «is always open to reviewing any agreements under the statutory tripartite talks with employers and unions», although a review of the increase in the minimum wage is not currently on the cards.
«At the moment, this is not on the table. What is on the table is the agreement to be implemented, with the figure already set for next year,» said Rosário Palma Ramalho, whilst accepting that the matter may be discussed at one of the forthcoming meetings with the partners.
The minister was speaking at the end of Wednesday's meeting the government, employers and unions, the agenda for which included the presentation of information on the 2027 state budget by the Minister of Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, and the transposition of the pay transparency directive.
Although it was not on the agenda, the trade union confederations proposed that the annual increase in the minimum wage planned for 2027 should exceed the agreed figure of €50, rising from the current €920 to €1,000, in the case of the UGT, or to €1,100, in the case of the CGTP.
«Any of the partners may request a review of any agreement» reached in the statutory tripartite talks between the government, employers and unions, the minister added, noting that «the partners need only ask for this item to be included on the agenda».
The next meeting between the government, employers and unions is scheduled for 21 October.
The tripartite agreement on wage rises and economic growth for 2025–2028, signed in October 2024 between the Government, the four business confederations and the General Workers' Union (UGT), revised the trajectory of the minimum wage upwards, providing for annual increases of €50 so that it reaches €1,020 by 2028.
Accordingly, the document states that the minimum wage will rise from the current €920 to €970 in 2027.
However, following the general election on 18 May 2025, the government set a new target covering the entire parliamentary term, aiming for the guaranteed minimum wage to reach €1,100 gross per month by 2029.
Regarding the transposition of the directive on pay transparency, the minister of labour pointed out that the process «is burdensome from a legislative point of view, because it involves a draft bill» which still has to be approved by the Cabinet and subsequently sent to parliament.
She also said she hoped the process would not take too long, as Portugal is already behind schedule in transposing the European directive.
As for the postponement of the parliamentary debate on the new parental leave rules, Palma Ramalho admitted that «it is a complex proposal, with many options for taking leave under a wide variety of schemes», which, she explained, makes it difficult to calculate the cost of implementing the measure.
In the context of the discussion of the measure as part of the labour reform package, the Government had estimated a cost of €230 million, she added.
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