The National Association of Sergeants (ANS) on Saturday accused the government and the PS of not wanting to review the army’s compensation regime, stressing that these changes are urgent after the Socialists rejected three draft resolutions in parliament.
“Unfortunately, the government and the party that supports it in parliament still fail to understand that it is crucial to promote the necessary changes and ensure the appreciation of the human resources of the National Defense, the most precious asset of the armed forces. those are the soldiers who are in the service of Portugal and the Portuguese,” the ANS stressed in a note.
The association stressed that the army’s pay system “has not been properly reviewed and changed for more than 13 years” and that “the widely publicized, but deceptive and misleading salary increases between 52 and 104 euros” represent the loss of quality of life and purchasing power of the army.
The ANS believed that the lack of salary update is “the main reason for the lack of career attractiveness” and “contributed significantly to the difficulties the armed forces feel in recruiting and retaining military personnel”.
“There is an urgent need to review the remuneration system and integrate salary-increasing measures. And today it has become even clearer who wants to and who does not want to solve,” the ANP said, emphasizing that this rejection “gave even more legitimacy and moral authority to the available use resources to “continue and intensify the fight for better living and working conditions for the military”.
Petition based on motions for resolutions
Three draft resolutions from the PSD, PCP and BE advised the government to review the pay system for members of the armed forces, but were rejected on Friday with the only vote against from the PS.
In the debate that preceded this vote in parliament, PS deputy Manuel Afonso emphasized that “not long ago” the salary table in the armed forces was revised, resulting in salary increases between 52 and 104 euros.
In addition, according to the deputy, the Action Plan for the Professionalization of the Military Career will soon be revised and the establishment of permanent cadres for military personnel in the army and air force will be approved.
The projects were based on a petition that gathered more than 7,700 signatures and was presented to parliament in September 2021 by military personnel from various branches of the armed forces, asking parliament to review and change the military pay system.
The first signatories to this petition were the presidents of the National Association of Sergeants (ANS), the Association of Officers of the Armed Forces (AOFA) and the Association of Privates (AP), associations present in the stands of parliament.
Source: DN
