Today, we break down Bolsonaro’s administrative reform — and its shortcomings. Brazil’s industry recovers slightly. Embraer announces layoffs. And Brazil reaches 4 million coronavirus cases.
Breaking down Brazil’s administrative reform proposal
In yesterday’s Daily Briefing, we anticipated that the government’s proposed administrative reform would be anything but bold. Instead of a detailed plan to overhaul the rules of Brazil’s public service, the administration instead presented broad principles — trusting a Congress that is highly sensitive to the civil servants’ lobby to fill in the gaps and decide on the specifics.
- More than that, it was underwhelming to see that a reform supposedly aimed at curbing spending on wages and pensions would not affect members of Congress, judges, prosecutors, or the military — the crème de la crème of Brazil’s public service.
What changes if the reform passes as is:
- Rock-solid job stability for civil servants would be drastically reduced. Only “typical careers of state” would be entitled to this benefit, and only after a three-year probation period. Today, only a court order or strict disciplinary procedure can remove a public service worker from his/her post. Since 2003, just over 7,500 civil servants have lost their jobs, mainly due to involvement...