In the last social consultation meeting, before the presentation of the State Budget proposal for 2026 (OE2026), the Minister of Labor, Rosário Palma Ramalho, guaranteed that wouldn’t open or close the door to an increase in the national minimum wage, in addition to the 920 euros provided for in the agreement for salary enhancement in force, as requested by UGT. That door closed today. In Parliament, where she is being heard, defending the OE2026 proposal, she made it known that the Executive will publish the minimum wage diploma, “of course”, in line with what is foreseen in the agreement. He also pointed out that the extraordinary pension supplement will only be applied in 2026 if the accounts allow it.
“The Government will, of course, publish the minimum wage diploma for 2026, as mentioned in the OE, in compliance with this agreement.” Rosário Palma Ramalho was responding to social democratic deputy Isaura Morais, thus closing the door on the issue of a more significant update of the minimum wage than the 920 euros included in the tripartite agreement for 2026.
This is an increase of 50 euros (5.7%) compared to the current 870 monthly gross. The current agreement provides that the value of the minimum wage will evolve progressively to 970 euros in 2027 and 1020 euros in 2028. Regarding the average salary, the objective set out in the agreement is to raise it to 1890 euros in 2028.
Supplements to Consider
As for the extraordinary supplement for pensioners, Rosário Palma Ramalho also closed the door to demands from parties on the left for a permanent increase in pensions, maintaining the option of attributing extraordinary supplements.
The minister reinforced the intention to update pensions in light of the legal formula in force. In other words, based on inflation and economic growth. It will allow “some recovery in purchasing power” for pensioners with less income, reinforced the minister.
The attribution of a new extraordinary supplement to pensioners remains open, always depending on the margin that budget execution can provide. And he once again justified the option, ensuring that the Executive aims to protect lower incomes and, at the same time, honor the commitment to maintain the sustainability of the system.
“It was the PSD Government that unfroze the lowest pensions and it is the AD Government that, through various means (increases in the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly and extraordinary supplements that add to the update), is protecting pensioners with lower incomes”, responded to the Left Bloc deputy, Mariana Mortágua. You Increases are not “arbitrary” as the blocker had accused, but in fact depend on “the way budget execution is carried out”, said the minister. “It would be irresponsible if this were not the case. We would be putting the entire system at risk.”
Minister once again defends limiting breastfeeding leave
Rosário Palma Ramalho also defended limiting breastfeeding. “The Government did not make any attack. Breastfeeding is an intimate right of mothers. Working hours are something that has costs for companies. That is all that is at stake”, he stated. The minister stressed that even with the changes, Portugal continues to have “the most protection” in this matter in Europe.
And he refuted Isabel Mendes Lopes’ accusation that the proposal contributes to continuing to stigmatize working mothers. “Mothers as workers are often harmed by rights that are only aimed at mothers and not at fathers” and therefore “we have to calibrate well”, he argued. The Government’s intention is to “balance” and “encourage the father’s role”.
Using numbers to reinforce his point, Rosário Palma Ramalho stated that in 2025 alone, the initial parental leave of 120 days was requested by 17,660 mothers and “only” 4,740 fathers. The average father’s leave was 35 days and if 12 thousand mothers took extended parental leave, fathers took two thousand.
Support for informal caregivers should increase
Responding to questions about support for informal caregivers, Rosário Palma Ramalho assured that the informal caregiver grant will be created “very soon” and will allow the caregiver to “be replaced” in their own home when necessary.
Complementing the information, the Secretary of State for Social Security, Susana Filipa Lima, reinforced that increases in support for informal caregivers are budgeted. According to the State Secretariat, in 2025 the average payment is 415 euros, an increase of 15% compared to the previous year. For 2026, almost 40 million euros are budgeted, which translates into an “increase of 23.7% for these people”.
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