Thousands of educators flooded the streets of Portugal’s capital on Saturday, voicing their frustration with the centre-right government over inadequate compensation, slow career advancement, and poor working conditions.
The demonstration was coordinated by the FENPROF teachers’ union, which criticized government officials for failing to address concerns about insufficient wages, career stagnation, and excessive workloads. Union representatives reported thousands of participants, though law enforcement has not yet provided crowd estimates.
Last May, government officials reached an agreement with union representatives to incrementally restore over six years and six months of career progression that had been suspended following Portugal’s 2011 financial rescue package. This arrangement enabled more than 100,000 educators in public schools to advance on the salary scale, increasing their monthly earnings by several hundred euros, though no retroactive compensation was included.
Numerous educators believe these steps are insufficient. Entry-level public school teachers receive approximately 1,714 euros monthly before taxes, positioning Portugal among the lower-compensated OECD nations for beginning educators.
“I lost 60,000 euros that I will never recover. They are giving us back just a few crumbs, and we’re supposed to be happy with that? No. We need to be properly valued,” said geology teacher Catarina Pinheiro, 47, during the demonstration.
Throughout an entire career, educators’ compensation can fall 15% to 25% beneath the OECD average. Although maximum earnings reach approximately 3,700 euros monthly before taxes, achieving this level can require nearly four decades. Public sector compensation also establishes standards for private educational institutions.
Educators participating in the rally expressed that inadequate pay and sluggish advancement opportunities were creating widespread discontent throughout the profession, especially among newer staff members, and cautioned that public education systems were facing significant pressure.
