Speaking to journalists after delivering the document to the vice-president of the Assembly of the Republic (AR) Rodrigo Saraiva, Nuno Almeida, from STML, and António Pascoal, firefighter and union leader, explained that there was no meeting with the Government today, but just an “institutional act” with parliament.

The petition, launched in May this year, aims, according to Nuno Almeida, “to draw the attention not only of workers who are affected by this devaluation but also of civil society, which does not know the level of devaluation to which these workers have been subjected to for decades.”

According to the union leader, at issue are “career, remuneration and worker appreciation issues, with a progression and promotion system that remains unfair and inadequate”.

The union leader also recalled the “feeling of injustice” in relation to payment for work on public holidays: “When payment for overtime work was reinstated to public administration workers, these workers continued to receive on holiday the same as they had been receiving since the time of the 'troika'.”