The Senate approved today (25) the Provisional Measure (MP) 1,099/2022, which creates the National Volunteer Civil Service Program. The program offers professional training courses, in addition to job vacancies in exchange for a scholarship payment. The text had already passed through the Chamber, where it underwent amendments. Now, it goes to presidential sanction.
When it edited the MP, at the end of January, the government intended to train young people who are out of the job market. The program is aimed at those aged between 18 and 29, workers over 50 and people with disabilities who have been out of the job market for more than two years.
In practice, it offers qualification courses in activities of public interest in the participating municipalities. Vacancies will also be offered in services considered to be of public interest.
The public of the program will receive financial assistance as a scholarship, in addition to personal accident insurance and transportation vouchers or other free transportation.
According to the text that arrived in the Senate, participants who stay more than one year in the program will be entitled to a 30-day recess, without prejudice to receiving the scholarship.
The priority public is made up of beneficiaries of income transfer programs and those belonging to low-income families. The inclusion of people with disabilities in the target audience was made in the Chamber and was not in the original MP.
Another change is in the duration of the program. The government defined until the end of this year, but the deputies changed to 24 months from the publication of the future law.
“It is important to note that Brazil has more than 5,500 municipalities, which will be able to offer public interest and professional qualification vacancies to thousands of vulnerable Brazilians and who will receive pecuniary aid of an indemnity nature as a scholarship”, said the rapporteur. MP in the Senate, Mecias de Jesus (Republicans-RR).
reviews
The bill’s approval was not unanimous on the Senate floor. Zenaide Maia (Pros-RN) was one of the critics. For her, the text is a way of hiring labor without an employment relationship.
“Actually, this is more of a labor reform, giving the right to contract precariously. Either it generates real employment and income or it will use the most vulnerable, because they will accept any situation”.
Other senators followed the same reasoning as Zenaide, such as Paulo Rocha (PT-PA) and Randolfe Rodrigues (Rede-AP).
Support
Eduardo Girão (Podes-CE) defended the MP. For him, it meets the needs of a country with a large number of unemployed.
“We are in a moment of 13 million unemployed in Brazil, a lot of anguish for people. I see that she [a MP] meets those who need it right now, and reduces bureaucracy. I only see it with good eyes, so much so that important institutions support this project”.
Eduardo Braga (MDB-AM) had the same understanding as his colleague. Carlos Fávaro (PSD-MT) was another to support the MP. “Much worse than underemployment is non-employment, hunger. It is the father of a family not having the dignity to bring food to his family”.
The PT presented an amendment, with a separate vote, in an attempt to include more labor rights, establishing a more solid type of bond between workers and the municipality, employer. But the amendment was rejected in plenary.
