Letters are being sent by the Portuguese government to civil servants proposing contract termination agreements in which a value in proportion to the age and working years of the employee is offered if the deal is accepted, said a union source to news agency Lusa.
As part of the State Reform, the government has decided to change the labour legislation and begin a public servant dismissal plan.
For those below the age of 50, compensation will amount to 1.5 months’ pay for each year of work. Civil servants between 50 and 54 will receive 1.25 of their monthly salary for each year as a government worker, while those between 55 and 59 will only receive one month’s pay for every 365-day period at the disposal of the government.
According to José Abraão of the Public Administration Union (Frente Sindical da Administração Pública), the government’s aim is to “intimidate people because these letters are aimed at workers with their backs against the wall”.
“This attitude demonstrates the government’s blind ambition to apply cuts in order to abide by the troika’s demands,” he added.
The plan will go into action on September 1 and is expected to be included in January’s new civil servant legislation.
