As global tensions refocus attention on the Atlantic, a decades-old labor agreement at Base das Lajes is вновь at the center of debate—this time with renewed urgency from Azorean labor leaders who say the moment for change cannot be missed.

The Azores branch of the SITACEHTT union is urging the Portuguese government to take advantage of what it calls a “favorable geopolitical climate” to renegotiate the Labor Agreement governing Portuguese workers at the U.S. military base. Speaking at a press conference, union coordinator Vítor Silva argued that the recent increase in activity at Lajes, following the outbreak of conflict involving Iran, has reaffirmed the base’s strategic importance—contradicting earlier narratives that it had become obsolete after the U.S. drawdown in 2015.

That downsizing saw American troop levels fall from 650 to 165 and resulted in a dramatic reduction of the Portuguese workforce, from 900 to 450 employees. For Silva, the lesson is clear: the base remains vital, but the protections for its workers have not kept pace. “The only visible return for the use of Lajes is employment and wages for Portuguese workers,” he said. “That is precisely why this agreement must now be revisited.”

At the heart of the union’s concerns is a troubling reality. According to SITACEHTT, some Portuguese workers at the base continue to receive base salaries below both the national minimum wage and the higher regional minimum wage in the Azores, which includes a 5% adjustment. At least 11 workers currently earn less than €966 per month in base pay—a number that could increase with the next minimum wage rise in January.

While a supplemental mechanism was introduced to ensure workers do not fall below legal minimums, the union argues that it has come at a cost: the erosion of seniority-based benefits. Employees with a decade or more of service have seen their incremental wage increases effectively absorbed into the minimum wage threshold. “What has been done is deeply unjust and discriminatory,” Silva said, noting that Portuguese workers at Lajes earn, on average, about 25% less than those at comparable U.S.-operated bases across Europe.

The broader issue, however, lies in the age of the agreement itself. The current Labor Agreement has not been revised since 1995, despite significant changes in Portuguese labor law over the past three decades. The union is calling for a comprehensive update that would address not only wage scales but also access to justice, maternity leave, and workplace health and safety protections.

In response, SITACEHTT is pressing both the Portuguese government and the Azorean Regional Government to adopt a more assertive stance in bilateral negotiations with the United States. The union is also planning to meet with political parties represented in Portugal’s Parliament, seeking to build momentum for what it describes as a necessary “shift in paradigm” in how labor relations at Lajes are managed.

For the Azores, the base has long been more than a military installation—it is a cornerstone of the regional economy and a symbol of transatlantic ties. But as its strategic relevance rises once more, so too does the expectation that those who sustain its daily operations will be treated with fairness and dignity.

In this renewed moment of leverage, the question facing Lisbon is no longer whether Lajes matters—but whether its workers do.

Adpated from a news story published in Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.