“Our desire is the same as that of the workers, to have a stronger AIMA that is a benchmark service in the Portuguese administration,” stated the Deputy Secretary of State for the Presidency and Immigration, in statements to journalists in reaction to the four-day strike that began on 1 June.

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference “The New Pact on Migration and Asylum of the European Union”, Rui Armindo Freitas said that the Government received AIMA “two years ago, lacking size and resources” and that, since then, it has been developing measures to address some of the workers' demands.

However, there is a point of contention: the creation of a specific career path, which is one of the main reasons the Union of Migration Technicians called a four-day strike.

“The union has a particular interpretation. AIMA has a properly organised service, and it is within this framework that it is working and has been successful, albeit with constraints that we regret, but which are the result of an explosion in demand for services,” he said.

In statements to journalists, he praised the work of AIMA employees, recalling that last year they carried out approximately 800,000 administrative services, more than 300,000 informational services, and answered “more than one million telephone calls.”

Regarding the lack of personnel, he mentioned the ongoing restructuring process, which has led to the opening of “several competitions” and is “increasingly reinforced.” The staff has already been “increased by 10%,” and he promised they would be reinforced again this year.

“This is a path that is being taken from a structure received two years ago, lacking size and resources, and which is being worked on every day,” to become “a benchmark service in the Portuguese Public Administration,” he said on the sidelines of the conference at the Autonomous University of Lisbon.

The strike will continue on June 2nd, 3rd, and 5th for better working conditions and improved service operations, which are "incapable of providing a swift response to regularisation processes," explained Manuela Niza, president of the Migration Technicians Union, to Lusa news agency.

The union representative described a situation in which services are understaffed, and those still working there are "exhausted and demotivated."

Furthermore, she added, working conditions "are miserable": There are service points "without water to provide to users or employees"; other points where "people are dying of cold and heat"; points with "ceilings collapsing"; and others where there are no computers to work with.

Regarding the lack of computers, the Secretary of State said, "A major investment in computerisation is also underway."

The union also requests at least two months of initial training for those joining AIMA for the first time, to prepare them to handle situations and to ensure that “completely inhumane situations do not occur.”

“We are a public institution, and what we want is an agency that functions and doesn't embarrass us because of the cases that appear in the media, which are the result of a lack of training and management within this institution,” he accused.