Portugal's government warns of quitting over teacher pay
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Portugal's prime minister is warning opposition parties his minority government will resign if parliament approves a bill giving teachers retroactive pay to replace income they lost due to national austerity measures.
Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa said the move would increase public spending by 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) this year and next, wrecking the government's financial planning.
Costa issued the warning Friday after opposition lawmakers on a parliamentary committee endorsed the bill. Passage by the full parliament is required for teachers to get the retroactive pay.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Portugal's teachers had promotions and associated pay increases frozen between 2011 and 2017 as part of money-saving measures during a financial crisis.
Labor unions want to recoup the lost time and entitlements, but the Portuguese government says it can't afford it.