Lisbon, July 17, 2025 (Lusa) - Hundreds of workers are demonstrating in Lisbon on Thursday to secure fair wages in the public administration, delivering a series of demands to the prime minister’s official residence, including a 15% wage increase to a minimum of €150.
The Common Front of Public Administration Trade Unions organised the protest, and hundreds of people marched from the Estrela Basilica to the São Bento Palace chanting “health, education, social security are universal rights”, “the struggle continues” and “a pay rise is urgent and necessary”.
The coordinator of the Common Front, Sebastião Santana, considers that the proposal to increase wages by 15% to a minimum of €150 is “fair on the road to recovering purchasing power”.
“We are certainly open to negotiations, and we look forward to discussing more meaningful increases than the paltry 1% or 2% that the government has been offering,” he added.
Sebastião Santana also stated that this demand is “perfectly feasible” and added that “the State Budget has items that, if distributed differently, would allow for this increase or even greater increases”.
The secretary-general of the CGTP, Tiago Oliveira, who was also present at the demonstration, told journalists that the policies that have been followed have completely overlooked and underfunded a “series of public services”.
“This government has included in its programme the continuation of a policy that reallocates public services, redirects the National Health Service, reevaluates public schools and now reexamines social security,” he added.
Tiago Oliveira also stated that the integrated system for performance management and evaluation in public administration (SIADAP) requires updates to fully support the valorisation of the careers of public administration workers.
The CGTP secretary-general also accused the government of being “committed to right-wing policies that limit workers’ life opportunities”.
During the protest, protesters played Zeca Afonso’s Grândola Vila Morena, and groups of young people played drums as they led the march to the São Bento Palace.
AJR/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
