Adjustment to Brazil’s Federal Police salaries prompt outrage; public servants threaten to strike

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The provision for readjustment and restructuring of Federal Police careers included in the 2022 Budget caused discontent in other categories of public servants, who also demand a raise. The bill passed by Congress allocates R$1.7 billion (US$300 million) to Federal Police professionals.

The decision to increase salaries for the Federal Police was a request from President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who is seeking votes for next year’s election.

By Wednesday, December 22, at least 6 unions have expressed their discontent with the salary increase only for Federal Police officers: the heads of unions of the Central Bank (SINAL), delegates and auditors of the Federal Treasury (SINDIFISCO), federal medical experts (ANMP), members of the Union of Servants of the Federal Legislative Branch, of the Federal Audit Court (SINDILEGIS), agricultural inspectors (ANFFA Sindical) and the Confederation of Workers in the Federal Public Service (CONDSEF).

The Association of Workers of the Institute for Applied Economic Research (AFIPEA-IPEA) and the Association of Planning and Budgeting Professions (ASSECOR) also announced protests.

According to CONDSEF secretary-general Sergio Ronaldo, the readjustment limited to Federal Police officers was met with dismay. “Since 2017, 90% of the public service has been discriminated against with cuts, with no tenders. The government prefers to segregate. This is unfair to people in public service,” he explains.

According to Ronaldo, President Bolsonaro’s decision to directly include a favored category leads to internal conflicts. CONDSEF is not against the readjustment for Federal Police officers, but against how it was handled.

However, the measures to be taken will be defined after meetings in January. “We will not take any action in advance,” the union leader said.

SURPRISE AND DISCONTENT

At the Central Bank, 45 heads of the organization’s units sent a letter to Central Bank president Roberto Campos Neto, as well as to its directors, in which they express “deep surprise and discontent with the negotiations for salary readjustments for certain categories of public service, excluding others.”

“It would be a very hard blow, a great disappointment [for the Central Bank’s employees] to be left out of this readjustment process,” the document reads.

The employees also say that the agency’s directors have a “clear commitment against situations of misalignment and asymmetry involving relevant categories of public service in which we are included.” The category also threatened to paralyze its activities in protest against the readjustment.

Bacen employees plan to resign their duties and promote strikes after yet another year with no readjustment. Central Bank employees have not had any salary increase since January 2019, while inflation as measured by the Extended National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) has accumulated a 19.1% increase over the same period.

“We are working on a calendar of protests. We will begin by demanding that the president [of the Central Bank], Roberto Campos Neto, take a position. We demand that this be reversed. We need at least a readjustment for inflation. Should none of this be achieved, we foresee the surrender of duties and strikes,” the National Union of Central Bank Employees (SINAL) chairman Fabio Faiad said on Wednesday.

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