The PCP introduced a bill to the Assembly of the Republic that aims to strengthen the military’s associative rights. In the document delivered on Monday, to which the DN had access, the communists explain that is the intention amend the law currently in force that was passed by parliament “more than two decades ago”. The aim is to strengthen the rights and obligations of military personnel and also to give them more capacity to talk to the guardian, for example.
Despite the fact that the Organic Law (No. 3/2001) has been approved and is in force, “it is a fact that there has been no real culture of dialogue on the part of successive governments with the representative structures of the army” , defend the communists . This is exactly what they are now advocating to change it. Deputy João Dias, heard by DN, explains that the bill introduced on Monday aims to “strengthen associative rights”. “The intermediate capacity of the army has not been great. The governments have not had any negotiation processes and therefore the positions of this sector are systematically ignored”.
Moreover, the communists argue, it is not “something unprecedented or innovative” compared to other contexts. In countries such as Belgium or Finland, “representative structures” of the military in the exercise of “negotiation and representation powers” were recognized. This, both the text of the bill and João Dias state, did not affect “operational performance”, even emphasizing “awareness of duties, rights and the exercise of effective citizenship”.
And, as the deputy explains, this strengthening of associative rights “also ends the strengthening of the duties of the military”, such as, for example, the duty not to carry out associative activities “within military units, institutions or bodies without prior information”.
For example, in the case of rights, the military could join Department of Defense working groups to “continue the analysis of cases within its specific jurisdiction,” or even “negotiate with appropriate entities to resolve the issues related to with the professional, remunerative and social status of the military”.
The law was passed in 2001 and has never been revised since. Communists criticize the intransigence of various governments over the years.
In defending this issue for years, the party has run into the intransigence of several governments, which the communists say have avoided addressing the issue. And the absolute majority of the PS could be another obstacle, because even without that majority there was never an opening to change the law: “What worries us is that in the previous legislature, even with a government without a majority, there was never any openness on the part of the executive to implement this change and this strengthening of rights,” says João Dias.
Still, the communist expectation is that there may be openness to pass the bill. “In the previous legislature, when the PCP questioned the issue, the current situation of parliamentary representation did not exist. There is an absolute majority, but there are also political forces that have gained weight in the Chamber. We hope there is some receptivity from other banks, from more progressive parties”, says João Dias. For now, now that the bill has been introduced, the next step is the debate in committee, as the deputy explains. Only then can we “wait and try to understand if more progressive parties accept the proposal. But only after the first debate can it be determined who may or may not vote alongside the PCP on this point.”
The armed forces in numbers
In the past year, the three branches (Air Force, Army and Navy) of the armed forces have lost personnel. According to Department of Defense data sent to DN, there was a decrease of 1452 military personnel in 2022 compared to December 31 of the previous year. In total, the Department of Defense registered 26,957 military personnel across all armed forces last year, of which 22,023 were on active duty.. There were also 8342 applications (resulting in 2539 incorporations). Below is the number of permanent employees in the organic structure of each branch of the armed forces:
Army: According to the Ministry of Defense, in 2022, 4723 military personnel were registered in this branch (1963 officers and 2760 sergeants).
Navy: This was the branch that registered the most soldiers: a total of 5484 (1361 officers; 1862 sergeants; 2261 privates).
Air Force: On the other hand, it has the fewest soldiers in 2022. There were 3051 in total (1225 officers; 1826 sergeants).
Source: DN
