Unions carry out ‘burial of civil servants’ in readjustment act: ‘Milk is killing civil servants’

Unions that make up the Front of Public Servants of Rio Grande do Sul (FSP/RS) held this Wednesday (24), in front of Palácio Piratini, in Porto Alegre, the Unified State Act for respect and appreciation to demand a salary adjustment for the set of categories.

During the event, the civil servants played a funeral march to simulate that the Eduardo Leite (PSDB) government is “killing public servants”. After nine years with only one adjustment granted to all civil servants, 6% in 2022, the categories point to the need for a General Revision of Salaries, a constitutional provision that guarantees the replacement of inflation, but which has been disregarded by the government. Accumulated inflation between 2014 and 2024, however, is 70.52%.

The FSP highlights that the failure to replace inflation has resulted in a serious loss of purchasing power for civil servants, who are reaching the limit of what they can handle, in some cases needing to “choose between eating and paying the bills”.

According to Cpers, more than three thousand people participated in the event. “We are here today to demand from the governor the due annual salary review, so that all employees receive a fair adjustment. But we also highlight the issue of our school employees, who have a shameful basic salary of R$657.97. We want a decent salary for the careers of these employees, who are so important for the functioning of our schools”, said the union president, Helenir Aguiar Schürer.

The president of Ugeirm, a union that represents Civil Police employees, pointed out that the government promised to present a proposal for the category, but has not yet done so. “Governor Eduardo Leite failed to fulfill his promise to present us with a proposal in the first week of April, he did not provide a justification and did not reschedule a new date. Silence and accommodation are in the government’s interest. The unified public act not only increases pressure on the Piratini Palace, but is also an opportunity to publicize the disregard for public safety among society,” said Isaac Ortiz.

During the event, the unions also drew attention to three measures recently adopted by the government that they consider to be wrong or have harmed employees.

The first of these is the adherence to the Fiscal Recovery Regime (RRF), in 2022, which was presented as a solution to the issue of the State’s debt with the Union, but the Finance Secretariat (Sefaz) itself pointed out that, in 2023, the debt increased by around R$10 billion. Furthermore, in return for the agreement, the State was forced to freeze even more spending.

“The freezing of investments in education, security, health, assistance and all other areas of activity of public authorities, relegates the State to underdevelopment for up to 10 years. In this scenario, civil servants, who have already accumulated almost 10 years of delay, are left without the right to a salary adjustment or improvements in their respective careers, which could lead to a collapse in the state public service”, says the FSP agenda.

They also highlight that, with the state pension reform, approved in 2019, the government increased pension rates, especially burdening retirees who receive below the INSS minimum. According to the FSP, civil servants pay, in one year, amounts higher than the salary for one month worked.

Finally, the front agenda points out that, in 2023, the government approved the reform of IPE Saúde, increasing contribution rates and taxing dependents. The FPS highlights that, at the time, it warned that, in a scenario of withdrawal of rights and salary freeze, in addition to representing a great injustice, it was not the way to resolve the crisis at the Institute. “After a few months, now paying higher rates, what we notice is the precariousness of the services provided and the reduction in quality”, says the FSP.

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