Vice-President calls for National Government intervention in Lajes Air Base labour situation - Communication

Vice-Presidência do Governo Regional

The Vice-President of the Regional Government, Artur Lima, addressed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, expressing the Azorean Government's deep concern regarding the labour situation currently affecting Portuguese civilian workers employed by the U.S. forces at Lajes Air Base on Terceira Island.

In the letter sent, the Vice-President warned that workers have not yet received their pay for the first few days of this month, nor the pay rise to which they are entitled. Artur Lima considers this omission to be an unprecedented and unacceptable situation. It violates basic principles of labour justice and undermines the dignity of workers covered by the Cooperation and Defence Agreement between Portugal and the United States of America.

Acknowledging that the recent U.S. Government shutdown may have temporary impacts, the Vice-President stressed, however, that in similar past situations, there has never been any interruption in payments. As such, he defended that the Portuguese State should intercede diplomatically with U.S. authorities to ensure that workers are duly paid and that pending salary updates are applied as a matter of urgency.

In the same document, Artur Lima requested that the National Government use all diplomatic avenues to ensure the contractual and salary obligations for Portuguese civilian workers at Lajes Air Base are met. Furthermore, he also requested formal explanations as to why the Labour Commission and the Permanent Bilateral Commission have not met as planned, a situation that has delayed the resolution of relevant issues in the areas of labour and cooperation.

Emphasising the historic relations of friendship and cooperation between the Azores and the United States of America, Artur Lima reiterated the Regional Government's commitment to strengthening these ties. Nevertheless, he noted that he cannot remain indifferent to a situation that directly affects Azorean families and compromises the social and economic stability of Terceira Island.