The clash between Fátima and public employees in the first nine days of her administration.

Neither the accounts nor the expenses have been zeroed out in any government that is now beginning. It's glaringly obvious. The expenses that the governor of Rio Grande do Norte, Fátima Bezerra, assumed less than nine days ago have not disappeared.

The unpaid salaries and the state debt remain; they have not been eliminated. Fátima had already acknowledged this scenario during the transition process, and upon encountering the mountain of debt, she even stated in November that "the situation is worse than she imagined."

This situation involves the accumulation of practically four payrolls, including salaries and the thirteenth-month bonus, collapsing accounts, and a legacy of R$ 2,6 billion in debt. It's enough to make anyone tear their hair out. Establishing fiscal rebalancing overnight is no easy task. Anyone would know that, and you don't need to be an economist to understand.
Is it possible to rebalance the accounts, pay salaries, and get everything in order in ten days? If Fátima manages such a feat, she could be a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Economics. But, for the Public Servants Forum of Rio Grande do Norte, it seems possible, considering the list of requests presented.

The forum didn't wait for Fátima to settle into her position as governor and presented a document with five demands. These include the immediate payment of the remaining 13th-month salary from 2017 to retired and pensioned civil servants, an amount the forum considers to be R$ 40 million. It also suggests that the payment of November 2018 salaries be completed by the 14th of this month and that the payment of the 13th-month salary for 2018 begin for those earning up to R$ 4.

It doesn't stop there. The payment of the 13th salary for 2018 must be completed by the end of January, and the payment of retirees and pensioners should occur on the same date as that of active civil servants. If Fátima manages to meet these demands in such a short time, she will be handing the magic wand to other governors in situations as unfavorable as that of Rio Grande do Norte.

Fátima, in turn, resorted to installment payments, a solution that is hardly agreeable to public employees or any worker. After all, nobody wants to receive their salary in installments. In these few days of her administration, the governor has been the fierce target of the opposition, which accuses her of repeating the practices of previous governments.

And that's where the revolt of the civil servants in Rio Grande do Norte also lies: dividing the January salary into two parts and not presenting a proposal for the back pay that the employees don't want to lose sight of.

The government of Rio Grande do Norte has accumulated delays in paying November salaries to those earning above R$ 5,000, December salaries for all civil servants, as well as part of the 2017 Christmas bonus and the 2018 Christmas bonus. The total amount owed is almost R$ 1 billion.

The Secretary of Planning and Finance, Aldemir Freire, presented figures from the State Treasury. There are R$ 115 million to pay the January payroll and a forecast of R$ 305 million by the end of the month. The government is still hoping to advance royalties, a measure consistently denied by the courts in the previous administration.

It was these figures that the employees clung to. They presented a calculation to guarantee the payments, using the royalties advanced on account.

In this dispute, unions in RN announced this Wednesday (9) that all overdue payments must be made before the January salary. Otherwise, they do not rule out strikes.

Where will Fátima get the money in such a short time to cover such a large deficit? Will the budgeted amount be enough to meet the needs of the employees? These are questions that need to be answered.

Amid the discussion, some folkloric solutions emerge, like those of someone running a grocery store counter. On TV, one of the representatives of the civil police officers, who are also fighting for their back wages, suggested that Fátima stop transferring funds from the Legislative Assembly, the Judiciary, and the Court of Auditors so that everyone could share the burden of the crisis. It makes a lot of sense. But is it feasible at this moment?

Despite the setbacks and excesses, there are signs that an agreement can be reached. The civil servants are in a hurry, have commitments and debts to pay. Fátima needs to find the best way to meet these demands under the logic of a truly progressive government, without forgetting to consider the tragedy left by former governor Robinson Faria.

However, it's still too early for the new government, and caution may be helpful at this stage.