Portugal school technicians face salary repayments and career revisions

The Portuguese Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) is revising the career positioning of school technicians, including psychologists, social educators, mediators, and speech therapists. These professionals were originally integrated into the school system through the 2017 Extraordinary Regularization Program for Precarious Links in Public Administration (PREVPAP).

The Ministry has decided to disregard evaluation points from the 2017-2018 biennium, arguing they should not have been used for subsequent career progressions. This decision has resulted in some workers being placed in lower salary brackets and others being ordered to repay salary differences received since their previous progressions. In one reported case, a professional was notified to repay over 9,600 euros.

Legal experts and labor unions have criticized the move. Labor law specialist Pedro da Quitéria Faria described the repositioning as “juridically questionable,” noting it may violate the principle of protection of trust and the specific PREVPAP rules regarding the recognition of previous service time. Unions are contesting the decision and monitoring several legal proceedings brought by affected workers.