Judicial Police Inspector Requests Compensation of €35,000 for Over 1,400 Unpaid Overtime Hours
In a unique legal case, a police inspector, with over 20 years of service, has filed a lawsuit at the Lisbon Administrative Court seeking 35,000 euros, with interest. The dispute revolves around uncompensated overtime hours worked during a three-year commission of service at the Single Point of Contact for International Police Cooperation.
The mission supplement awarded to the Judicial Police in 2023, intended to compensate for permanent availability, has been at the centre of the controversy. However, no specific details about the nature of the mission supplement have been disclosed.
The Presidency of the Council of Ministers defends that the mission supplement is designed to compensate for permanent availability, while the inspector argues that it does not cover the extensive overtime hours worked during this period. The organization acknowledged the shortage of staff and the inspector's extraordinary commitment but claimed there was no time to compensate.
The Presidency of the Council of Ministers has presented a counterclaim, but the details of this counterclaim have not been made public. The organization has also not responded to questions regarding the case.
During the commission of service, which ended in December, the inspector worked over 1,400 overtime hours. Despite these excessive hours, requests for compensatory leave were denied by the organization. In July and October, he made two requests for compensatory leave, totalling 143 days of rest.
The Judicial Police has refused to comment on the case because, at that time, the inspector was under the tutelage of the Single Point of Contact. The department, which included other security forces such as the PSP and GNR, has not responded to information requests within the stipulated four-hour timeframe as stated in the protocol.
Portuguese labor laws and specific statutes applying to public security personnel generally require compensation for overtime hours worked, either via increased pay (overtime pay) or compensatory leave. Court decisions in Portugal uphold that public employees, including police inspectors, have the right to compensation for overtime hours worked, either financially or through compensatory leave, according to applicable collective agreements or statutory norms.
As of now, no specific case details, court decisions, or legal implications related to this case have been found. Portuguese public administration or labor law databases, or Portuguese court decisions databases, would be the appropriate resources for precise case law or rulings.
This case highlights the complexities of overtime compensation for police inspectors in Portugal and the need for clearer regulations and timely responses from the relevant authorities. It also underscores the importance of upholding the rights of public employees to fair compensation for their extraordinary commitment to public service.
- The business of determining fair compensation for overtime hours worked by police inspectors, as seen in this case, seems to require more clarity in regulations.
- The ongoing legal dispute revolves around the finance aspect of the mission supplement, which was intended to compensate for permanent availability but, according to the inspector, does not cover extensive overtime hours.
