The 5% readjustment that the government decided on Wednesday (13) to give to federal public servants was received negatively by some categories, which are already talking about intensifying demonstrations.
The government took the decision even without having enough space in the Budget, which will cause a cut in funds in other areas. The estimate is that the cost of the measure will be approximately R$ 6 billion in 2022.
The decision was confirmed by Sheet with members of the economic team and the Planalto Palace. The option for the linear format comes after months of back and forth about the readjustments of civil servants and after pressure from the Planalto Palace on the economic team in recent days to reach an outcome this week.
For Amauri Fragoso de Medeiros, from Andes-SN (National Union of Teachers of Higher Education Institutions), the measure can be interpreted as a retreat by Bolsonaro, when thinking that the government’s initial proposal was that the readjustment would be given only to part of its electoral base — the police. Although it doesn’t meet all the servers’ needs, it’s a defeat for them, he says.
“But the price, with the increase in fuel and unemployment, has harmed the livelihood of the servers. We are in the process of building a strike and this does not account for our salary losses. I have the impression that the servers will be angry, since 5% is equivalent to this year’s inflation alone, practically.”
The president of Fonacate (Permanent National Forum for Typical State Careers), Rudinei Marques, also criticized the measure, pointing out that the salary gap for federal servants is between 30% and 40%. “So 5% recomposition is more than unacceptable, it’s revolting.”
According to Marques, the mobilization of servers should intensify in the coming weeks, due to the budgetary and legal window, which is closing. “For servers, the ideal would be something closer to the percentage of loss of purchasing power in the period. A 20% readjustment now would be reasonable, and we could correct the rest in the coming years.”
For the economist and columnist for Sheet Marcos Mendes, one of the creators of the spending cap, however, the adjustment could increase fiscal uncertainty.
Mendes questions, first, whether it is appropriate to give a readjustment to public servants now, since they had a guaranteed job during the pandemic, while a good part of Brazilians lost income.
“The second point is whether it fits in the government’s pocket, due to the limitation of the spending ceiling. It will be necessary to decide where to cut expenses and the most important thing would be to cut in the rapporteur’s amendments, which are low quality expenses and are generating all kinds of suspected corruption.”
If there is a 5% readjustment, costing R$ 6 billion or R$ 7 billion, and this is done in the rapporteur’s amendment cut, the problem is smaller, he says. “But it is more likely that this increase in personnel expenses will join others approved by Congress – such as a salary floor for nurses, help for Santas Casas – and this will generate pressure to ease the spending ceiling in 2022. It would be problematic for the country and would increase fiscal uncertainty.”
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