Companies from various sectors have decided, in recent months, to grant extraordinary support to workers, as well as to apply measures to try to mitigate the impact that inflation is having on the cost of living for most people.

According to DN, in addition to public support, which ranges from direct financial aid, as is the case of the most recent support of 240 euros for the most vulnerable families, or the 125 euros paid in October to those who receive up to 2,700 euros gross per month, some workers have also relied on help from companies.

After consecutive rises for several months, inflation in November dropped slightly by 0.2 percentage points compared to October, to 9.9%, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and household disposable income fell again.

Here are some companies and banks that have chosen to grant support to their workers:

Modelo Continente (MC) will this month pay support of up to 500 euros to workers to mitigate the effects of inflation, a measure that will cover 36,000 people and will represent an investment of more than 15 million euros.

The amount of support will be "proportionate to the workload", reads a statement released by the Sonae group company in early December.

Considering that "2022 has been particularly challenging for the Portuguese, with an impact on the management of the family budget", MC says that, throughout this year, "it has been reinforcing the internal package of financial and social benefits for employees, in an annual investment exceeding 10 million euros".

The ISQ - Institute of Welding and Quality this month attributes extraordinary support to workers to the amount of a salary, with the aim of mitigating the impact of inflation on the cost of living and "as a measure of solidarity" during the Christmas season.

In a press release, ISQ, which owns a technological interface center in Portugal that has operated for over 50 years in the national and international market in the areas of engineering, inspection, testing, testing and training, states that, throughout 2022, reinforced the benefits package, namely with health insurance and an increase in meal subsidy.

On 20 December, Novo Banco announced the attribution of a support of 500 euros to workers with gross annual income of less than 30,000 euros and 250 euros to those who receive more than that amount, excluding "top management and directors".

These amounts constitute "measures to mitigate the rise in inflation", the bank said in a statement.

The bank also established a new monthly gross minimum wage of 1,100 euros, starting next year.

BCP decided to allocate an extraordinary one-off payment of 500 euros to all workers without an assigned vehicle, which will be processed with the December salary, according to an internal message released on November 2.

Banco Montepio will this month pay an extraordinary support of 600 euros to workers with a gross monthly remuneration of up to 1,500 euros and 400 euros in cases where the remuneration is between 1,500 euros and 2,500 euros to respond to the impact of rising inflation.

"Other measures associated with loans to employees were also approved, to mitigate the worsening of economic conditions, namely the possibility of extending terms and access to Multifunction credit for credit consolidation and financial restructuring", advances Montepio.

Montepio Crédito also announced that it will pay its workers similar extraordinary support in December.

Hovione awarded a "special bonus" of 1,000 euros to its 1,600 workers in Portugal, the money being made available through a shopping card to be discounted in food or clothing stores.

This bonus aims to respond to the pressure on family budgets imposed by inflation, after the company has revised the salary budget twice this year due to rising prices.

CTT - Correios de Portugal is paying "extraordinary compensation" this month to its workers who receive a salary of up to 2,500 euros, to face rising inflation, according to a statement released last week.

The company, which employs 12,015 people in Portugal, does not reveal how many workers will be covered or the amount of support.

Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) announced in November that it would make an extraordinary payment, in December, of 900 euros, for workers with a monthly income of up to 1,500 euros, and 600 euros, for those earning between 1,500 and 2,700 euros.

Jerónimo Martins, owner of Pingo Doce and Recheio, decided to pay support of up to 350 euros in December to around 25,000 workers at the group's companies, to respond to the rise in the cost of living, ECO reported in November.

The payment of support will result in a global amount of more than 8 million euros, an official source from the retailer told the newspaper.

On the 3rd of October, the branch of the Spanish bank Bankinter in Portugal advanced with a set of support, such as increasing the food subsidy and the payment of the social pass to its workers.

"Given the current economic context, and specifically in relation to its employees, Bankinter has prepared a set of specific supports, seeking to mitigate the impact of the generalized increase in prices, being the full payment of the social pass or the increase of the lunch subsidy (in 3.5 euros per day, to 14 euros) examples of extraordinary measures already implemented for an initial period of six months, with a reassessment to be carried out at the end of that time", an official source from the bank told Lusa.

Santander informed that workers earning up to 30,000 euros a year would receive an "extraordinary and supplementary payment" of 750 euros, within the scope of measures approved by the bank to deal with rising prices.

In the note, Santander says that "it has been following the evolution of the economic situation in the country and in the world, with natural concern" and that it is aware that "the increase in inflation and the cost of energy are having an impact on the family budget of many" of the contributors.

Thus, Santander decided to "approve some financial support measures to help minimize this impact", focusing on helping "employees with the lowest salary, through the payment of a single amount instead of a percentage, so that this support is more relevant".

In September, as reported by the newspaper ECO, around 500 workers at the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck Europe (MFTE) truck factory, located in Tramagal (Abrantes), received an extraordinary payment of 400 euros.

Owned by Daimler Trucks, the company -- located 150 kilometres from Lisbon -- said it intended to "adjust wages in an intelligent way", because "you can't just spread the money around".