Lajes Air Base, in the Azores
For the first time, a government shutdown is affecting payments to workers at the Azorean air base.
There is late payments to workers Portuguese and Lajes Base. It is an – unprecedented – consequence of the US Government’s bias, which began two weeks ago.
The situation was denounced last Monday by the Workers’ Representative Committee: Portuguese workers from the US forces in the Azores receive their wages every 15 days – but, on Friday (10th), they learned that they wouldn’t receive three days’ pay in October.
Portuguese employees from the US Department of Defense They are afraid that they will not receive the remaining salary October; at least as long as the shutdown in Washington continues.
“So far, it’s never happened. There have been at least two shutdowns that I remember. The information I have is that it was due to the North American shutdown and that, this time, for some reason, it also affected Portuguese workers at the Lajes Base”, commented Artur Lima, vice-president of the Government of the Azores.
Artur added that these late payments are not only occurring at the Azorean air base: “It has reached bases all over the world. But we have to deal with our problems and try to understand what affects us and how we can improve”.
To try to resolve this problem, the Government of the Azores sent a carta to the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel.
Artur Lima recalls that workers with late payments are covered by the Cooperation and Defense Agreement between the United States and Portugal. Therefore, it awaits a response from the Portuguese Government.
“The Government of the Azores makes this further insistence so that the Government of Portugal can also re-inspect and emphasize the importance of this issue for a small municipality such as Praia da Vitória”, commented the vice-president of the Government of the Azores.
Urgent resolution
The Parliament of the Azores already approved this Wednesday a “urgent” resolution demanding immediate regularization of outstanding payments.
The parties that make up the Government (PSD, CDS and PPM) voted against, but the proposal was approved by a majority, with votes in favor from BE, PS, PAN, IL, and Chega.
According to the Left Bloc deputy, António Lima, this lack of payments is “shameful and violative of the rights of these workers and has no legal basis”.
