Workers give up benefits to guarantee salary readjustment

Brazilian workers are giving up benefits to guarantee a salary adjustment that at least restores inflation in collective bargaining this year, according to a balance sheet of the first six months of 2022 by the Salariómetro, from Fipe (Fundação Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas).

The data show that complements such as PLR (Participation in Profits and Results), allowances for retirement and attendance, health plan, dental plan and daycare assistance came out of most of the collective agreements or conventions closed this year.

In addition, there was no readjustment in meal and food vouchers and the values ​​remained the same between 2021 and 2022. Only the basic food basket rose.

The removal of these supplements would be the way found by workers to guarantee better wage adjustments, which replace or are above inflation, in the assessment of Hélio Zylberstajn, a senior professor at USP (University of São Paulo) and coordinator of the Salariómetro.

“The presence of additionals decreased in 2022. There was a general reduction not in the value, but in the presence [desses benefícios]”, it says.

According to him, with inflation and unemployment on the rise, the bargaining power of workers is compromised. “As the bargaining power of workers is not strong, because inflation is still very high, there is no way to put pressure on it. To guarantee inflation, you have to give up something”, says the professor.

Proportion of benefits compared to total trades

In the first six months of 2022, collective bargaining showed some recovery compared to 2021 with a higher average of readjustments equal to or greater than inflation measured by the INPC (National Consumer Price Index).

Data show that the median readjustment in the first six months of 2022 is 10.6% compared to 6.2% in the same period in 2021. The minimum wage rose, but did not exceed inflation for the period. The average value is BRL 1,431 when, in 2021, it was BRL 1,320, a growth of 8.4%. The INPC is 11.92% in the 12 months ending in June.

Trading in the last 12 months

The monthly food stamp remained at R$280 and the meal ticket remained at R$22 per day. Only the basic food basket increased, from R$ 170 to R$ 280, which represents a readjustment of 22.35%.

The amount paid, however, represents 16.62% of the basic food basket of June this year, calculated at R$ 1,251.44, according to research by Procon-SP (Foundation for Consumer Protection and Protection) in partnership with Dieese (Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies).

In July, the preview of studies is worrying. Of the total number of negotiations so far, 70.3% resulted in adjustments lower than inflation, given that it will only be confirmed at the end of the month, with the closing of the data.

Although inflation is expected to fall, it is necessary to wait for the unemployment numbers in the first half, says Zylberstajn, to know if the labor market is recovering or not.