In an interview with Lusa, the president of the CCP stated that the wage increase benchmarks provided for in the Social Concertation agreement signed with the previous Government in 2022 (and reinforced in 2023) should be revised according to the progress of the economy.

"One of the reasons for the revision of the annual agreement is precisely to reanalyse, according to the evolution of the economy, all these areas", he states, adding that "at this time, Europe is not in great economic health", which will have an impact on Portuguese exports.

Taking this scenario into account, there are benchmarks that can be revised "downwards" and others "not downwards", says Vieira Lopes, stating that wage appreciation, such as that of the national minimum wage, must take into account three variables: economic growth, inflation and productivity.

"As we know that the minimum wage also plays a certain role in combating poverty, we admit that an adjustment can be made beyond the economic formulas", indicates the leader of the employers' confederation.

However, he adds, if changes are made "only through administrative means, there is a risk that everything will happen as it has happened in previous years, which is an increasingly greater gap between the minimum wage and the average wage", creating "difficulties in collective bargaining, because categories cannot be differentiated".

"Therefore, we should not make agreements based on rigid formulas", he stresses.

Asked whether he agrees with the target for the minimum wage set out in the Government's Programme, of reaching 1,000 euros in 2028, Vieira Lopes replies: "We have always turned up our noses, as they say in popular language, at setting fixed objectives of this type, therefore, at making fixed commitments".

"The minimum wage should be reviewed annually based on the indicators. And then, with a margin of manoeuvre according to the role it has in combating poverty", reinforces Vieira Lopes.

In the Government's Programme, the AD executive aims for the national minimum wage, which is currently 820 euros, to reach 1,000 euros by the end of the legislature (in 2028), with increases based on inflation and productivity gains, and for the average wage to be around 1,750 euros.

In the Social Concertation agreement signed in October 2022 by the majority of social partners, targets were set for the minimum wage to reach 900 euros in 2026.

As for the benchmarks for wage increases, the 2022 agreement provided for 4.8% increases for 2024, but this value was reinforced in October 2023 to 5%, taking inflation into account.

For 2025 and 2026, the agreement provides for increase benchmarks of 4.7% and 4.6%, respectively.

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