Portugal’s police march for higher pay and pensions

Hundreds of Portuguese police officers dressed in civilian clothes took to the streets of Lisbon Wednesday calling for higher pay and getting pensions.

Police accuse the Socialist government of having reneged on a promise to review bonuses for officers, Paulo Rodrigues, president of the ASPP police union told AFP.

These bonuses currently account for 30 percent of their salary and have not been updated for some 15 years.

Officers also want the government to approve early retirements, which will clear the way for new recruits and lower the average age of the force, added Rodrigues.

The interior ministry has said that unfreezing promotions last year led to wage rises for 1,400 officers.

Seven months ahead of Portugal’s legislative elections, Prime Minister Antonio Costa’s Socialist Party still leads opinion polls. But since December, they have faced a wave of public sector strikes.

They won power in 2015 thanks to an alliance with the radical left, promising to end austerity policies, which raised expectations that were subsequently dashed because of the government’s effort to balance the budget.