Lisbon, Sept. 16, 2026 (Lusa) - The government is meeting on Wednesday with social partners as part of the Social Dialogue to present information on the proposed 2027 State Budget and discuss transposing the pay transparency directive.
The official agenda lists a presentation on the 2027 State Budget by Finance Minister Joaquim Miranda Sarmento and the transposition of the pay transparency directive, among other matters.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 3.00 p.m. at the headquarters of the Economic and Social Council in Lisbon, and the minister for labour will chair the session, as usual.
On the government's side, in addition to Rosário Palma Ramalho and Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, the meeting will be attended by the minister for agriculture and maritime affairs, José Manuel Fernandes.
In written statements to Lusa, the business confederations urged the government to include measures in the draft 2027 State Budget to reduce the tax burden on businesses and promote housing for workers, while the trade union federations called for relief on personal income tax.
Observers expect the meeting to cover the minimum wage update.
The tripartite agreement on wage increases and economic growth for 2025–2028, signed in October 2024 between the government, the four business confederations and the General Union of Workers (UGT), revised the trajectory of the national minimum wage upwards, providing for annual increases of 50 euros so that it reaches 1,020 euros in 2028.
Accordingly, the document states that the national minimum wage will rise from the current €920 to €970 in 2027.
However, following the general election on 18 May 2025, the government set a new target in its programme covering the entire parliamentary term, aiming for the guaranteed minimum wage to reach €1,100 gross per month by 2029.
In this context, the trade union federations consider that «there is scope» and that «it is imperative» to revise the figure set out in the agreement upwards (with the CGTP proposing that it be increased to €1,100 from January), whilst the employers' confederations prefer to maintain the current trajectory.
Last week, the labour minister stated that «what is on the table is meeting the target» set out in the agreement and indicated that «there would have to be a new agreement for that target to be changed».
The government «will maintain the agreement in its current form», she emphasised.
On transposing the directive on pay transparency, the Government is preparing a draft bill, having already sent the document to the social partners and requested their input.
The Portuguese State is still completing the transposition, with the new rules scheduled to be adopted by 7 June. The European Commission launched infringement proceedings against Portugal the following day, on the grounds that national legislation does not yet fully comply with the new European rules.
JMF/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
