The meetings start at 11:00 AM with the National Education Federation (FNE) and continue in the afternoon, from 2:30 PM with FENEI, SIPE, FEPECI, SPLIU, and SNPL, followed by ASPL, SIPPEB, SEPLEU, Pró-Ordem, and Stop at 4:00 PM, and the National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof) from 5:30 PM.

Less than a month after the first meeting, the negotiation process should be concluded today, after the government and unions presented several proposals and counterproposals.

The Government's most recent proposal, presented a week ago, foresees returning 50% of the six years, six months, and 23 days of frozen service time during the 'Troika' in the first two years, but maintains the five-year term of the initial proposal.

The intention is to return 25% in the first two years, 20% in 2026, and 15% in 2027 and 2028.

On the other hand, the Ministry has come closer to the teachers' demands in other aspects, for example regarding the effects of the "accelerator" approved by the previous executive, which allowed the recovery of the time in which the teachers waited for a vacancy to be able to progress to the 5th and 7th steps.

Minister Fernando Alexandre is already going to today's meetings to learn about the unions' new counterproposals. The two largest structures -- Fenprof and FNE -- are making some concessions, but insist on the deadlines they have defended since the beginning of the negotiations.

Fenprof, on the one hand, maintains the return of service time to an annual average of 33% over three years, as of July 1.

FNE, which initially proposed 30% in 2024, 30% in 2025, 20% in 2026, and the last 20% in 2027, came closer to the Government's position by changing its proposal to an annual accounting of 25%, but maintains the four-year term.

Initially pointed out as a red line, the revocation of the diploma that implemented mechanisms to accelerate career progression, the so-called "accelerator", is already accepted by the unions, provided that the MECI maintains the commitments made last week.

Specifically, they want a guarantee of a vacancy for progression to the 5th and 7th steps during the recovery period, as well as a guarantee that the time recovered under the decree-law will not be subtracted from the six years, six months, and 23 days.

Despite some rapprochement, the Ministry and union federations remain in disagreement on one point: the government wants the recovery of service time to serve only for career progression purposes, while the unions are asking for compensation mechanisms for teachers who are already at the top of their careers or who will retire in the meantime.

In addition to the minister, the meeting will be attended by the Secretary of State for Education, Alexandre Homem Cristo, the Secretary of State for Administration and Educational Innovation, Pedro Dantas da Cunha, and the Secretary of State for Public Administration, Marisa Garrido.

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