Senate approves health agents retirement agenda

The Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) government tried to maneuver to remove from the text the provision of parity and integrality, which guarantee retirees the same active salary and annual adjustment equal to those who continue working, but the negotiation did not go well.

The text was approved in the first round by 73 votes in favor and 1 against. The PECs must be approved in two rounds and with favorable votes from 49 of the 81 senators.

The second round will be held this Tuesday. The senators agreed to the so-called interstice break, when the second vote is taken on the same day as the first.

In the plenary, the government leader, senator Teresa Leitão (PT-PE), released the bench, when she did not advise a yes or no vote. Teresa gave up voting for the PEC, as she said that she would not vote in a way that differs from the majority, but that she needed to be responsible with the "afterwards", the implications on social security accounts.

When she declared that the bench was free, the government leader said that the government understands that the appreciation of professionals must go hand in hand with the balance of public accounts.

The economic team estimates that the amendment to the Constitution will generate a cost of R$30 billion over ten years.

The proposal's rapporteurs in the Chamber, federal deputy Antonio Brito (PSD-BA), and in the Senate, senator Irajá (PSD-TO), say that the government's projection is exaggerated. Irajá says the cost should be R$2.5 billion per year, which would be equivalent to 1% of the SUS (Unified Health System) budget - R$25 billion over ten years.

"A category of 370 thousand fathers and mothers from frontline families, who run all these risks of contagion, of dealing with more complex situations", said Irajá. "It's nothing alarming. We're not going to spend 10% of the SUS to make this historic recognition, we're talking about 1%. It's more than deserved."

Health agents work in epidemiological surveillance, such as in the fight against dengue fever or leishmaniasis, in the active search for infected people to control contagious diseases, and in monitoring childhood vaccinations and family health programs.

An estimate by Dieese (Inter-Union Department of Studies and Statistics) based on data from Rais (Annual Social Information List) from 2024, indicates that there are 345.2 thousand community agents, a number that also includes indigenous health and indigenous sanitation agents. They will all benefit from the PEC.

In the government, Finance and Social Security had been treating the PEC as a bombshell. The PEC creates a retirement with more flexible rules for community health agents, with only 25 years of contribution, based on proof of effective exercise in the activity.

Other professionals need to prove exposure to harmful agents to be entitled to early retirement. Parity and integrality are mechanisms that ceased to exist in 2003. The government's concern is that approval of the amendment will lead to a flood of requests from other categories seeking the same advantage.

The government base also tried to change the transfer of expenses with the amendment to the Union in the report voted on this Tuesday. This device caused mayors and governors to withdraw their opposition to the modification. The negotiation, however, failed.

Privately, senators from the base had already indicated that they considered it unfeasible to oppose the PEC. The government itself went on to say that it was not against the proposal, but that it would like to negotiate some points.

Community health agents are seen as an organized category with a certain power of influence at the grassroots level. The group's weight was seen during the vote on the PEC in the Chamber of Deputies, when hundreds of them occupied the plenary galleries.

With the text being processed in the Senate, they spent weeks occupying Senator Irajá's office so that he could release his report for analysis by the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission), where it was approved before reaching the plenary.

This Tuesday, with the expectation of voting on the text, they returned to Congress.

The PEC will also implement all temporary contracts for these professionals. As the proposal has already passed the Chamber of Deputies, it now goes for promulgation.

See the main points foreseen by the PEC for health agents.

MINIMUM AGE

The PEC provides that agents will be entitled to retirement at a minimum age of 57 years (women) and 60 years (men), as long as they prove 25 years of contribution and effective exercise in professional activity. The rule will apply both to those linked to the INSS and to those who work as public servants (own regime).

TRANSITION RULES

Just as was done in the 2019 Social Security reform, there are also transition rules for those who are already working when the PEC comes into effect.

It will be possible to retire with 25 years of contribution and effective exercise in the activity, as long as you are at the following minimum ages:

- By the end of 2030: 50 years (women) and 52 years (men) - By the end of 2035: 52 years (women) and 54 years (men) - By the end of 2040: 54 years (women) and 56 years (men) - From 2041: 57 years (women) and 60 years (men)

Bonus for early retirement: It will be possible to retire up to five years before reaching the minimum age, as there is a rule that provides for deducting each year of contribution and effective exercise that exceeds the required 25 years, within this limit.

POINT TRANSITION RULE

- Minimum age: 60 years old (women) and 63 years old (men) - Minimum contribution time: 15 years of contribution, ten years of effective exercise in the activity - Minimum score: 83 points for women and 86 points for men

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