The Senate approved this Wednesday (25) a provisional measure that creates a program to provide voluntary service for young people between the ages of 18 and 29, people over 50 without formal employment for more than 24 months and people with disabilities.
The basic text of the proposal was approved with 51 votes in favor and 20 against. Changes to the text were voted on separately, but ended up being overturned.
Despite the approval, the proposal was criticized by parliamentarians, who consider the text an attempt by the government to make labor relations precarious through a volunteer program, with low remuneration.
As had already been processed in the Chamber of Deputies, the creation of the program goes straight to the sanction.
The text of the provisional measure provides that the program will last for two years. The main objective would be to assist in the “productive inclusion of people in situations of vulnerability and to reduce the social and labor market impacts”, which were caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The program also seeks to encourage municipalities to offer activities of public interest, but without the workers having an employment or professional relationship with the contracting parties.
The provisional measure also determines that the program prioritizes the inclusion of beneficiaries of income transfer programs or who belong to low-income families registered in the CadÚnico (Single Registry for Social Programs), of the federal government.
On the other hand, retirees cannot participate, but access is allowed to those who receive a pension for death or accident assistance.
It will be up to the municipalities to define the offer of vacancies for activities considered to be of public interest. A simplified public process will be required to select candidates.
The maximum workload will be 22 hours per week, limited to eight hours per day. The municipality will also have to offer initial training or professional qualification courses — the minimum workload will be 12 hours for every 30 days of stay in the program.
volunteer service program
Target Audience:
- Young people aged between 18 and 29 years
- People over 50 and without formal employment relationship for more than 24 months
- Disabled people
Program rules:
- Municipalities can hire volunteers for activities of public interest, without formal employment ties
- Maximum workload of 22 hours and limited to eight hours a day
- Offer of initial and continuing training or professional qualification courses, with a minimum workload of 12 hours for every 30 days of stay in the Program
program restrictions
- Activities considered unhealthy
- dangerous activities
- Activities that configure replacement of public servants or employees
Remuneration:
The scholarship will have a value equivalent to the minimum wage per hour and will correspond to the sum of hours spent on training courses and activities of public interest.
The municipality will be responsible for contracting personal accident insurance in favor of the beneficiaries and also for referral to labor intermediation services, to encourage inclusion or reintegration into the labor market.
“We believe that the planned measures will not impact the Union’s budget. The implementation of the National Volunteer Service Program will have the administrative, financial and budgetary operationalization under the responsibility of the municipalities”, said the rapporteur of the proposal in the Senate, Mecias de Jesus (Republicans-RR ).
The provisional measure prohibits beneficiaries from carrying out activities that are unhealthy, dangerous or that may constitute replacement of civil servants or public employees in the municipality in the execution of activities that are private to regulated professions or to the competence of public positions or jobs.
The proposal also presents rules for the grants that will be awarded to the beneficiaries. They must be equivalent to the minimum hourly wage and will correspond to the sum of hours spent on courses and activities carried out under the program. The transport voucher cannot be deducted from the bag.
A beneficiary who participates in the program for one year or more — the duration is two years — will be entitled to a 30-day recess. The text says that this month should be taken, preferably, during school holidays and that the scholarship should be paid during this period.
For senators from the opposition and independent parties, the program makes the job market precarious.
“If I understand correctly, this project takes young people from 18 to 29 years old and people over 50 who are vulnerable, in extreme poverty. But I would ask a question: from what I saw in the project, they are not entitled to leave illnesses, is not paid, does not collect social security and is not entitled to maternity or paternity leave, nor to weekly days off”, said senator Zenaide Maia (Pros-RN).
PT leader Paulo Rocha (PA) said that the program has “aura of beneficial action”, but that it hides mechanisms of precariousness, in addition to opening the way for the electoral use of hiring.
“Imagine this during an election period. It will be a real hiring spree,” he said.
For the leader of the women’s bench Eliziane Gama (Citizenship-MA), the proposal is inhumane and allows volunteers to receive around R$ 500 per month.
The leader of Podemos, Álvaro Dias (PR) recalled that the matter was already the subject of another provisional measure, which ended up being rejected by the National Congress because there were questions about the constitutionality.
On the other hand, the leader of the MDB, Eduardo Braga (AM), said that despite being critical of the text, he considers it essential to have a mechanism to benefit the unemployed.
“From 18 to 24 years old, 22.8% of young Brazilians are unemployed. They do not have any income. Men and women over 50 years old, when they lose their jobs, do not have a chance to be re-entered into the labor market. .”, he said.
The provisional measure also provides for a professional qualification plan that will be offered to beneficiaries. These courses may be presential, blended or distance learning. If it is blended, the beneficiaries must have access to technological means to follow the classes.
Qualification will be carried out by S System entities, such as Senai, Senac and Sebrae.
Technical-professional training institutions will be responsible for verifying the attendance and performance of beneficiaries and for communicating to municipalities when they have insufficient performance or attendance below the established minimum.
The process in the Chamber of Deputies was also marked by controversy, as the rapporteur Bia Kicis (PL-DF) had included the mini-labor reform and change in unemployment insurance in some of her opinions, but ended up withdrawing it from the final version.
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