Hundreds of Portuguese civilian workers employed at the U.S. Air Force’s Lajes Field (Base das Lajes) on Terceira Island, Azores, have gone without pay as a direct consequence of the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. The situation has created a bilateral diplomatic reaction.
According to reports, confirmed by the Government of the Azores, Portuguese employees working under the Bilateral Agreement on Cooperation and Defense between Portugal and the United States have not received their salaries since the beginning of October, which is “unprecedented and unacceptable.”
“The Azorean Government considers this suspension of payments deeply troubling and incompatible with the longstanding spirit of cooperation between Portugal and the United States,” said Artur Lima, Vice-President of the Government of the Azores. “We have formally requested that the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs intervene immediately to ensure that all labor and contractual obligations toward Portuguese citizens are respected.”
The Lajes Air Base employs a significant number of Portuguese nationals under the U.S.–Portugal Defense Cooperation Agreement and its Work Regulation, which defines pay scales, benefits, and working conditions for local employees. The Portuguese civilian workforce performs a wide range of support, maintenance, and administrative functions essential to base operations.
While the agreement recognizes that U.S. payments are “subject to U.S. appropriations law,” Portuguese officials argue that domestic labor protections — including the right to be paid timely — cannot simply be suspended due to foreign budgetary conditions. Previous U.S. government shutdowns — notably those in 2013, 2018, and 2019 — did not interrupt salary payments to Portuguese at Lajes Air Base employees.
Under the Portuguese Código do Trabalho [Labor Law], workers should not be compelled to report for duty without remuneration. Employers are obligated to ensure timely payment for work performed, regardless of external funding interruptions. Portuguese citizens employed on national soil cannot be held hostage to U.S. internal political processes.
Therefore, Azorean officials are urging a “rapid, coordinated diplomatic response” to prevent further social and economic disruption on Terceira Island as the budget standoff in Washington continues. Meanwhile, Portuguese workers at Lajes remain on duty — without pay — relying on assurances that their wages will eventually be restored.
The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reportedly engaging with U.S. Embassy officials in Lisbon to clarify the legal status of the affected contracts and ensure immediate restitution of back pay once the U.S. shutdown ends. The Regional Government of the Azores has requested that the Portuguese Government establish a contingency mechanism to protect local workers in the event of future shutdowns. Established during World War II, Lajes Field has long served as a critical U.S. and NATO strategically relevant outpost in the mid-Atlantic.
PAJ/Staff
The Azores (population 250,000) is a region of Portugal composed of nine islands. The archipelago, discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government’s executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal. According to the latest US census, over 1.3 million individuals of Portuguese descent live in the United States, the majority with roots in the Azores. It is estimated that over 20,000 US citizens live in Portugal.
