State careers to have higher adjustment than others

Representatives of typical state careers in Brazil—like security, inspectors and storage—have reached an agreement with the Ministry for Planning, Budget, and Management to have a higher adjustment than the one granted to other servants. While other servants of the federal executive power will have their wages increased in 10.8%, divided in two years, they will receive a 27.9% higher wage, divided in four years.

For servants that do not work in typical state careers, the percentage will be divided in two parts—5.5% in August 2016, and 5% in January 2017. The pay increase totals 10.8% because the second part is related to the already reset wage. The 27.9% increase for state careers will be divided, in turn, with a high of 5.5% in August this year, as other civil servants. However, in 2017, 2018, and 2019, they will have their salary adjustment as following: 6.99%, 6.65%, and 6.31%.

Rudinei Marques, president of the National Forum on Typical State Careers, said that these servants will receive a higher adjustment because they accepted "to run a risk by taking a longer deal." He argued that the careers that have accepted the 27.9% increase in four years have been counting on the economy's stability. "[These careers] hold state technical, strategic positions, which expect the economy to stabilize, then they have settled a fixed [adjustment] until 2019," he commented.

However, Josemilton Costa, secretary-general of the National Confederation of Public Service Workers (Condsef), the organization negotiating the 10.8% agreement for part of the civil service, criticized the higher adjustment to servants earning already higher wages than the average. "The government has given priority to those who earn more and has been squashing each year those earning less in the federal public administration. Government benefits those who collect [taxes] and use repression at the expense of those who educate or save lives," he complained.

The Ministry for Planning reported that, when negotiating the adjustment of State careers, they have sought to bring them into line with the one that had been given to federal prosecutors who negotiated a pay increase of 21.3% divided in four years. According to the ministry, to equitably deal with all the State careers has been a policy of management. They have also pointed out that these careers agreed to receive the adjustment in four years, while other servants have required a shorter period to receive it.

The state careers that accepted 27.9% are analysts and technicians of the Comptroller-General Office (CGU) and the National Treasury secretary, civil servants of the Central Bank, of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Brazil (CVM), of the Private Insurance Superintendency (SUSEP) and staff of the management cycle. The government failed to reach an agreement with the following careers: IRS, Federal Police, Federal Highway Police and diplomats.

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta