LISBON, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Portugal's Socialist Party (PS) government is to relax a pay freeze applied to the salaries of politicians and their staff, the Publico newspaper revealed on Thursday.
According to the newspaper, a new government decree allows politicians, public sector managers and staff working in government offices to recover the 5 percent pay cut they suffered in 2010.
The recovery, as well as the reintroduction of bonuses, will be phased in, starting from January 2019.
The pay cut was introduced as a symbolic gesture at a time when Portugal was in financial disarray and facing severe austerity.
But the symbolism of the cuts now being unwound was condemned by politicians of all stripes.
Pedro Felipe Soares, parliamentary leader of the Left Bloc (BE), told TSF radio that "politicians' offices should be way down the list of priorities."
Nuno Magalhaes, parliamentary leader of the center-right Central Social Democratic-Popular Party (CDS-PP), went further, calling the initiative "contradictory, immoral and irresponsible."
"We strongly disagree with this move," said Fernando Negrao, parliamentary leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD). "Public spending has to be contained and the government must lead by example," he said.
However, Rui Rio, leader of the PSD, was less concerned. "If it's government policy to end all the cuts introduced at the time of the troika, then I've nothing against them doing so," he told the Lusa Portuguese News Agency.
For its part, the PS called the objections "populist" and said the motion merely reflected motions in other sectors. In the 2018 State Budget, a thawing of the public sector pay and promotions freeze was agreed.
