From the 24th to the 26th of the current month, the 27th meeting of the  Labour Commission of the Lajes Air Base Agreement took place at the Ministry of National Defence, in Lisbon. The Azores has a permanent seat in the Commission, through the representative of the Regional Government of the Azores, Paula Ramos.   At the meeting several matters were addressed, such as the analysis of the situation of workers with fixed-term contracts that perform security  roles in the South Tank Farm and the complaints of other workers, such as drivers of the American Command, regarding a physical aptitude questionnaire to drive their vehicles. 

With regard to the security personnel with fixed-term contracts working at South Tank Farm, the Region took note of the prompt measures of the American Command to reverse the sacking notifications of these workers that resulted from an error and that have already resulted in the re-instating of one of workers to his former position with a no-term contract and in the continued employment of the remaining eight. 

 Both delegations agreed to await for the result of a study by the American Command regarding the possibility of making these employment positions permanent. The Region will continue to accompany these matters and will maintain the position that these workers should have no-term work contracts in the ambit of the Labour Agreement and of the Labour Regulations because they have performed their duties for a period of time that is much longer than that of fixed-term contracts. 

Concerning the complaints presented by drivers about the physical aptitude questionnaire proposed by the American Command, a consensus solution at the Command level will be found until the end of April that safeguards the personal information of workers. 

The Labour Commission shall meet again in the second half of 2009 in Washington.