Portuguese public sector unions demand 6.5% wage rise in opening talks
FESAP met with Portuguese government officials on Tuesday to demand a 6.5% minimum salary raise and a 1,050 euro baseline for public workers in 2027.
Initial bargaining sessions in Lisbon
On Tuesday, 6 October 2026, the Portuguese government opened its annual negotiation round with trade unions representing public administration workers. Secretary of State for Public Administration Marisa Garrido received the Public Administration and Public Entities Union Federation (FESAP), affiliated with the UGT confederation, at the Ministry of Finance in Lisbon. Garrido also scheduled sessions during Tuesday afternoon with the Frente Sindical, led by the Union of State Technical Staff (STE), and the National Federation of Public and Social Function Workers (Frente Comum). The opening meetings served as an initial platform for union structures to present their formal economic claims. Following the meeting, union representatives stated that the government received and reviewed their proposals without making immediate commitments.
FESAP wage demands for 2027
FESAP Secretary-General José Abraão urged the executive to revise the multi-year agreement governing public sector compensation, pointing to rising living costs. The federation proposed increasing the baseline public sector remuneration to 1,050 euros in 2027, which represents a minimum wage adjustment of 6.5% or 95 euros for all civil servants. Abraão noted that the 2.3% pay rise specified under the existing multi-year accord fails to preserve purchasing power against current price increases. FESAP representatives stressed that the multi-year accord contains explicit provisions permitting revisions if macroeconomic circumstances change.
We cannot accept that there are workers, with inflation at three-point-something percent, who continue to have an increase of 2.3%, degrading their purchasing power.
- Multi-year agreement
- 2.3 %
- FESAP proposal
- 6.5 %
Allowances and working conditions
Beyond base wages, FESAP renewed its request to raise the civil service daily meal allowance to 10 euros, completely exempt from taxes. The request for the 10 euro tax-free meal voucher repeats the position submitted by the union during the previous bargaining round. The union platform also called for the valorization of general civil service careers and adjustments to the SIADAP public administration performance evaluation system. Abraão affirmed that the union is not demanding irresponsible measures that would endanger public accounts, noting that the economic context changed since the initial agreement was signed.
What we have is an agreement where it says that, whenever circumstances change, we would revisit and seek to improve the agreement we have concluded. That is what we are seeking to do.
Next steps in negotiation round
When asked about the executive's stance, Abraão reported that the government neither excluded nor accepted pay adjustments above the agreed baseline during Tuesday's talks. Union leadership placed responsibility on the executive to determine the final budget allocations for public sector personnel.
It is in these moments that governments have to be sufficiently solid so that they help those in need.
A second bargaining session is scheduled for the end of next week or early the following week, occurring after the submission of the 2027 State Budget proposal. Minister of Finance Joaquim Miranda Sarmento is set to attend the upcoming meeting alongside public administration representatives to continue talks.
