The head of the union was reacting to statements by Prime Minister António Costa, who last week restated that the minimum wage, currently €585 per month, will be updated again in 2019.

The Prime Minister's statement "is nothing new" and for the CGTP the question is that "the increase of the minimum wage should not be kept to €600, it should be higher," said Carlos.

"I think it is clear to eevryone that, if it were to happen, €600 in January 2019, that would be an increase of 67 cents per day," added the secretary general of the CGTP.

According to him, the current economic situation meets all the conditions to go "further" in the minimum wage.

"What the prime minister said yesterday did not add anything, because he spoke about the national minimum wage so as not to mention what is fundamental, which is the general increase in wages, both for public sector workers and private workers," Carlos said.

The union leader added that, given the replacement of the 5% salary cut in ministerial offices in 2019, as daily newspaper Público reported on Thursday, "this is the time" to unfreeze civil service salaries.

"We cannot wait too long, it has to be a few days, no more, to know if the government will unfreeze the salaries of the civil service for this year and next, because that is the bottom line," Carlos said.

Regarding the National Reform Programme (PNR), the topic of Friday's Social Dialogue meeting, the CGTP leader criticised the document, saying that it does not prioritise, "quality employment, with rights and fair pay."

According to Carlos, the PNR "remains affected by the constraints of the Stability Programme," with a view that deficit and debt, "remain the benchmark of economic policies in Portugal."

"You have to put people first in relation to numbers," concluded the CGTP leader.

The social partners and the government are meeting this afternoon at Lisbon's Social Dialogue meeting to discuss the National Reform Programme at a meeting attended by the Minister of Planning and Infrastructure, Pedro Marques.