The Minister of Labour said today that the Government “is always open to review any agreements in the Social Concertation”, although the review of the increase in the National Minimum Wage (NWM) is not at this time.
© Lusa
16/09/2026
by
Lusa
“ Right now, this isn't on the table. What is on the table is the agreement to comply with that has the amount already set for next year”, said Rosário Palma Ramalho, although admitting that the subject may be discussed at one of the next meetings with the social partners.
The minister spoke at the end of today's meeting with the social partners in Social Concertation, whose agenda was the presentation of information on the State Budget for 2027 (OE2027) by the Minister of State and Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, and the transposition of the wage transparency directive.
Although it was not part of the agenda of the work, the trade unions proposed that the annual increase of the NMS foreseen for 2027 should exceed the agreed value of EUR 50, in order to move from the current EUR 920 to EUR 1,000, in the case of the UGT, or the EUR 1,100, in the case of CGTP.
“Any one of the partners can ask for a review of any agreement” made at the Social Concertation, said the ruler, adding that “just let partners ask that this point be on the agenda.”.
The next social concert meeting is scheduled for October 21st.
The tripartite agreement on wage valuation and economic growth for 2025-2028, signed in October 2024 between the government, the four business confederations and the General Workers Union (UGT) reviewed the trajectory of the national minimum wage, predicting increases of EUR 50 per year and reaching EUR 1,020 in 2028.
Thus, the document points out that the national minimum wage increases from the current EUR 920 to EUR 970 in 2027.
Nevertheless, following the legislative elections of 18 May 2025, in the government program, the executive set a new target to cover the entire legislature, pointing out as an objective that the minimum guaranteed remuneration would reach 1,100 gross per month in 2029.
Regarding the transposition of the wage transparency directive, the Minister recalled that the process “is costly from a legislative point of view, because it goes through a proposal for a law” which will still have to be approved in the Council of Ministers and then sent to the Assembly of the Republic.
He also said he hoped that the process would not be too long, because Portugal is already late in transposing the European directive.
Regarding the postponement of the parliamentary discussion of the new rules of parenthood, Palma Ramalho admitted that “it is a complex proposal, with many possibilities of enjoying leave in many regimes”, and it is therefore, he explained, difficult to determine the cost of adopting the measure.
As part of the discussion of the measure in the labour package, the government had estimated a cost of EUR 230 million, he said.