Following the Briefing Note issued today by the Azores Union of Workers in Food, Beverages and similar, Trade, Office and Services (SABCES), the Regional Government clarifies the following:

The safeguard of the Lajes Air Base workers' rights and the compliance Labour Agreement under the Cooperation and Defence Agreement between Portugal and the U.S. are subject to ongoing monitoring by the Government of the Azores, which takes action through the representatives of the bodies responsible for defending the workers' specific interests as well as regional interests.
 
Regarding the specific accusations presented by SABCES, it is also important to clarify that:

1. The labour relations at Lajes Air Base are perfectly normal and there is no type latent and widespread conflict as SABCES has mentioned in its briefing notes;

2. The complaints lodged by workers with regard to the unjustified suppression of the transport subsidy by American Command at the Lajes Air Base will be analysed at the next meeting of the Labour Commission, scheduled for April this year. So, this process is still running. The Region will not cease to defend the workers' legitimate rights under the rules of the Labour Agreement;

3. In light of the new labour agreement, the 2010 salaries of the Portuguese workers at Lajes Air Base have been maintained in accordance to the salary level of the previous year, as the U.S. Government froze the salaries of all civilian workers at the Department of Defence, while the salaries of national civil servants and some of the regional administration workers have been cut by 1.5% to 5%, according to the stipulations of the National Government;

4. On December 15, 2010 a session was held at the Lajes Air Base with the purpose of informing Portuguese workers about the recognition and skill validation services that could be provided to these workers by the Valorizar Network that has since received the application of the workers who wish to benefit from this programme;

5. The general meetings with Portuguese workers at Lajes Air Base will remain. None was held in 2011 due to schedule issues. In any case, the representatives of the Region at the Labour Commission and Permanent Bilateral Commission have kept in touch with both workers and their representatives throughout the year;

6. Regarding the review of the medical disability certificate of one or more workers, as the SABCES knows and the Regional Government had already informed in August 2010, only the worker himself is entitled to request to the Social Security services an examination by the medical board upon presenting the respective medical report. The worker in question has decided not to continue with this process.

Thus, the Regional Government restates its intention to maintain a responsible, serene and determined attitude in defending the interests of the Portuguese workers of Lajes Air Base and ensuring the compliance with the Labour Agreement. The Government will neither surrender to the interests of other entities nor yield to the desire for attention of those who claim to defend these workers.