Public Sector Unions Bring Demands of 6.5 to 15 Percent to Tuesday's Pay Talks, Against the 2.3 Percent Already Agreed for 2027

The government sits down with the public sector unions on Tuesday to negotiate next year's pay, days after a 24-hour strike closed schools across the country and days before the 2027 State Budget is due in parliament on Friday. The starting point is a multi-year agreement that already promises a rise for 2027; the unions are asking for considerably more, and the gap between the three union groups is wide.

What is already agreed

In January 2026 the government signed a multi-year pay agreement for public administration workers with two of the three union structures: the Federation of Public Administration Unions (FESAP) and the union front led by the Union of State Technical Staff (STE). For 2027 it provides:

• a pay rise of 60.52 euros a month or 2.3 percent, whichever is higher;
• a public sector minimum wage of 995.51 euros a month;
• a meal allowance of 6.30 euros a day.

The third structure, the Frente Comum, linked to the CGTP confederation, did not sign.

What each union wants

• FESAP: a public sector minimum wage of 1,050 euros in 2027, rises of 95 euros or at least 6.5 percent for everyone else, and a meal allowance of 10 euros a day from January. "We cannot wait while salaries deteriorate, as they have been deteriorating," said its leader, José Abraão.
• STE front: a 7.3 percent rise, five percentage points above what was agreed, and the meal allowance brought forward to 6.45 euros a day, 30 cents above the current rate. Its president, Rosa Sousa, said the figure balances inflation against lost purchasing power.
• Frente Comum: a public sector minimum wage of 1,150 euros, rises of no less than 15 percent and a meal allowance of 13 euros a day.

The two signatories are, in effect, asking the government to reopen a deal it signed with them nine months ago.

Why now

The demands follow the 2 October strike called for some 350,000 general-career public workers, and come as prices are rising faster again. Whatever the government offers must fit into the budget it presents on Friday.

The private sector comparison

In the private sector, the national minimum wage is due to rise to 970 euros in January, below the 995.51 euros already agreed for the State. For other private sector workers, the reference in the 2024 social concertation agreement points to rises of around 4.5 percent in 2027. The union confederations will try to push both figures higher at a social concertation meeting on 21 October, although employers' confederations showed no willingness in September to go beyond what was agreed, according to ECO.

What it means for public employees

For public administration employees, the January 2026 agreement guarantees at least 60.52 euros a month more in 2027, or 2.3 percent on higher salaries. Anything above that depends on Tuesday's talks and the budget negotiations that follow.