Madeira proposes to the Republic equalization of minimum wage for state employees

The Legislative Assembly of Madeira approved Resolution No. 26/2026/M, which formally presents to the Assembly of the Republic a bill to correct a salary asymmetry affecting central government workers performing duties in the Autonomous Region.

Currently, the value of the Guaranteed Minimum Monthly Remuneration (RMMG) set annually for mainland Portugal (920 euros in 2026) does not apply directly to the Autonomous Regions. Madeira set its own value for 2026 at 980 euros, and the Azores at 966 euros, reflecting the additional costs of living associated with insularity.

However, this higher regional value applies only to workers in the regional administration, local administration, and the private sector. Central public administration workers (such as employees of ministries, public institutes, courts, or the University of Madeira) working in Madeira remain subject to the mainland minimum wage, creating a situation considered unfair.

The bill, now sent to Lisbon, aims to establish that the minimum remuneration of these state workers cannot be lower than the value in force in the Autonomous Region where they perform their duties. This means that, if approved, a central government civil servant working in Funchal would be entitled to receive, at a minimum, the 980 euros defined by the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, and not the 920 euros from the mainland.

The resolution argues that this correction is necessary to ensure territorial cohesion and salary justice, as these workers face the same costs of housing, transport, and food as their colleagues in the regional administration. The proposal stipulates that the remuneration effects would come into force on January 1st of the budgetary year following its approval.