Police prepare for a national protest in Portugal: PSP and GNR take to the streets again

The dispute between the structures representing PSP and GNR members in Portugal over wages, career and job compensation is growing again. While security forces are preparing for protests in September and October, a national demonstration is planned to bring together PSP and GNR members in October.

ASPP/PSP President Paulo Santos stated that police dissatisfaction had reached an "unsustainable limit" and announced that strong action would be taken throughout the country.

At the same time, various unions and associations representing PSP and GNR requested a meeting with the government within a week.

At the center of the dispute is not just the salary increase; There is a demand for equalization with the duty pay given to Polícia Judiciária (PJ) personnel, the updating of all pay scales and the restructuring of police careers.

PSP is preparing an action calendar for September and October

Associação Sindical dos Profissionais da Polícia (ASPP/PSP) announced that it will organize protests and actions in various cities of Portugal throughout September and October.

The most important stage of the process is expected to be the national show planned to be held in October.

ASPP/PSP aims to include organizations representing GNR members in this demonstration.

However, there is a point that should be noted at this stage: the exact day of the national demonstration has not been announced yet.

Therefore, there is an action decision for October, but certain It is not right to give an exact date without announcing a date.

Another police group gave the government a week's time

Protest preparation is not limited to ASPP/PSP.

Following the meeting held by various unions and associations representing members of the PSP and GNR, Associação Nacional de Oficiais da Guarda (ANOG) requested a meeting with Interior Minister Luís Neves within a week at most.

Representatives announced that if the meeting does not take place, protests will take place.

The main message of these structures is that there should not be a distinction between "first and second class police" between the security forces.

Why is the wage gap with PJ on the agenda again?

One of the most important disputes behind the police protests is the supplement de missão, or duty pay, given to Polícia Judiciária staff.

Organizations representing PSP and GNR members want the compensation provided to their personnel to be equalized with the system in PJ.

However, the demands are not limited to this additional payment.

The organizations are also demanding an evaluation of the entire pay scales of the PSP and GNR and a structural reorganization of police careers.

Therefore, it would be incomplete to summarize the current dispute simply as "police officers want a raise."

More major police protests in 2024

The debate about wage inequality for security forces in Portugal is not new.

At the beginning of 2024, PSP and GNR members will be working nationwide. Huge protests were organized, and the pay gap between the security forces became the center of the debate, especially after the duty compensation given to PJ.

The government then reached an agreement with some representative organizations on new compensation arrangements.

However, not all unions and associations found the agreement sufficient or signed it.

Behind today's wave of protests is the view that this conflict has not been completely resolved.

“Not signing the agreement does not eliminate the right to representation”

One of the important objections in the current statement of the GNR and PSP organizations is the position of the structures that did not participate in the previous agreement with the government in the negotiation process.

The organizations argue that the fact that they did not sign an agreement they consider bad does not eliminate the right of police officers to be represented and demand better working conditions.

For this reason, a new negotiation table is requested from the government.

Do protests affect citizens?

The main action announced at this stage is demonstration and protest.

Therefore, it is not right to talk about a nationwide PSP/GNR strike or that police services will stop on certain dates.

Strike and service obligations of security forces are also subject to special legal restrictions.

However, if protests are held especially in big cities such as Lisbon, temporary effects may occur on traffic and transportation on the march routes.

The size of this is only The exact date, time and route of the protest will be determined when it is announced.

What will happen next?

The first critical stage is the negotiation period given by police organizations to the government.

If a new negotiation process is opened with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and progress is made in wage/career demands, the protest calendar may change.

Otherwise, a larger national demonstration is expected to be held after local actions in September and October.

Therefore, there are two issues to watch in the coming days: whether the government will sit down with the unions and associations again and the exact date of the national protest in October.

Resources

Renascença — Liliana Monteiro and Ricardo Vieira, September 10, 2026 — “Forças de segurança vão realizar manifestação nacional em outubro”

Diário de Notícias — Sofia Fonseca, 10 September 2026 — “Associações e Sindicatos da GNR e PSP exigem reunião no prazo de uma semana”

RTP / Antena 1 — 10 September 2026 — “Polícias marcam protestes por aumentos de salários”