The Chamber approved this Wednesday (11) a provisional measure that creates a voluntary service program aimed at young people between 18 and 29, people over 50 without formal employment for more than 24 months and people with disabilities.
The basic text of the MP was approved by 251 votes to 96. The deputies rejected suggestions for modifying the text, which follows the Senate and has to be voted on by June 1st so as not to lose its validity.
The rapporteur, deputy Bia Kicis (PL-DF), withdrew from the MP the labor mini-reform that she had included in previous opinions, as well as the change in unemployment insurance inserted in a text released on Monday (9).
The program seeks to encourage municipalities to offer activities of public interest, but without an employment or professional bond.
Priority for membership is for beneficiaries of income transfer programs or people who belong to low-income families enrolled in CadÚnico (Single Registry for Social Programs of the Federal Government).
The municipality will provide for the offer of vacancies for activities considered to be of public interest. Those who receive retirement benefits will not be able to participate in the program — the restriction does not apply to those who receive a death benefit or accident benefit.
It will also need to establish the administrative, financial and budgetary operationalization of the program, the value of the scholarship and the form of payment for the transport voucher – or the offer of another form of free transport.
According to the MP, the municipality must offer the program via a public selection process, which will need to be published in the Official Gazette and on the entity’s website. Only one beneficiary per family can be selected to participate in the program — they will be identified by CadÚnico.
Anyone who has already been a beneficiary of the program can only be selected if there are no suitable candidates who have not yet participated in the project.
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.
The municipality will be responsible for contracting personal accident insurance in favor of the beneficiaries and also for referring the beneficiaries to labor intermediation services, to encourage inclusion or reintegration into the labor market.
Deputy Leo de Brito (PT-AC) criticized the program. “We do not vote in favor of precarious work, both for young people and for people over 50 years old. These people need work, yes, but with a formal contract.”
The MP prohibits beneficiaries from performing unhealthy, dangerous activities or activities that represent the replacement of public servants or employees in the municipality in the execution of activities that are private to regulated professions or to the competence of public positions or jobs.
It also sets out rules for the scholarship, which must be equivalent to the minimum wage per hour and will correspond to the sum of hours spent on courses and activities of public interest carried out within the scope of the program. The value of the transport voucher cannot be deducted from the scholarship.
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 period. The text says that this month should be taken, preferably, during school holidays and that the scholarship should be paid during this period.
In the opinion of deputy Túlio Gadêlha (Rede-PE), paying less than a minimum wage to a worker is disrespectful, “especially considering the inflation in Brazil today, where the basic food basket costs an average of R$800.”
“It doesn’t make sense for us to vote on a story like this thinking that people are in need of money and therefore will submit to anything.”
According to the MP, the training or qualification courses may be presential, blended or distance learning. If the course is blended, the beneficiaries must have access to technological means to follow the classes.
The 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 funds related to the scholarship credited and not used in a year, from the deposit, will return to the federative entity responsible for the payment.
The scholarship can be accumulated with AuxÃlio Brasil or benefit of continued provision, with regard to beneficiaries with disabilities.
The beneficiary will be disconnected from the program if he/she is admitted to a job, takes office in public office, has less than the minimum attendance or insufficient performance.
The MP also creates an award to recognize municipalities that stand out in the implementation of the program.
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