Edvaldo will pay salaries on time in the first month of his administration.
Mayor Edvaldo Nogueira announced, in a meeting with 10 unions in the health sector, that it will be possible to pay public employees on time starting in the first month of his administration; the payment of January and February salaries will take place between the last day of the month and the fifth business day of the following month, as established by law; he also presented a proposal to settle the December salary from last year, which remained outstanding from the previous administration. In this case, the employee may receive payment in 12 monthly installments, with the right to a bonus, or request a loan, which will be paid by the city hall.
Sergipe 247 - Mayor Edvaldo Nogueira announced on Friday (20), in a meeting with 10 unions in the Health sector, that it will be possible to pay employees on time starting from the first month of his administration. In this way, the payment of salaries for January and February will take place between the last day of the month and the fifth working day of the following month, as established by law.
He also presented a proposal to settle the outstanding December salary from last year, which remained pending from the previous administration. In this case, the employee can receive it in 12 monthly installments, with the right to a bonus, or request a loan, which will be paid by the city hall, and receive the entire salary in February. All municipal employee unions will be officially notified this Friday about the information announced by the mayor.
January salaries will be paid starting on the 31st. On this date, employees in the Health and Education sectors will receive their payments, reinforcing the priorities of the new administration. On February 3rd, workers in other departments will have their salaries deposited into their accounts. Finally, on February 7th, retirees and pensioners will receive their payments. February salaries will be paid following the same schedule – by the fifth business day of March.
Regarding the December salaries, which the former mayor failed to pay, the current administration has proposed the following alternative to the employees: payment in 12 installments starting in February, or the option of receiving the full amount in advance through a payroll loan with Caixa Econômica Federal or Banco do Estado de Sergipe (Banese). The employee will not have to bear any costs or interest. This will be the responsibility of the city hall. The proposal will be sent to the Aracaju City Council.
“We are fulfilling our commitments. We are prioritizing public employees and will pay the salaries of our administration on time. Even in the face of a dramatic situation, we have already announced adjustment measures and it will be possible, with a gigantic effort, to honor the payment of salaries. Thus, we are truly placing public employees first in our priorities. In addition, we are prioritizing municipal health and public cleaning,” stated the mayor. He emphasized that in March there will be a new round of negotiations to assess the administration's financial situation and establish a new payment schedule for the following months.
Financial engineering
The Secretary of Finance, Jefferson Passos, explained how the financial engineering to achieve these measures came about. “It’s only been 20 days of the new administration, but a period dedicated to finding solutions that could minimize the disruptions caused by the salary delays left by the previous administration. Based on the decree to contain expenses, negotiations with suppliers, and the mayor's directive to prioritize the regularization of salary payments, the functioning of the Health Department, and city cleaning, we constructed a financial engineering plan to honor these commitments by extending the payment of inherited debts. That's why we proposed paying December salaries in installments, but with the possibility of granting a compensatory bonus equivalent to the costs of a payroll loan so as not to harm the employees,” he stated.
According to the Secretary of Health, the announcement of on-time salary payments is "proof of the mayor's commitment to fulfilling his obligations." "With salaries paid regularly, employees will be more productive and satisfied, which will benefit the citizens," he emphasized.
"A huge relief"
The president of the Health Workers Union (Sintasa), Augusto Couto, stated that the schedule presented by Edvaldo Nogueira represents "a great relief" for the employees. "Announcing that salaries will be paid on time was excellent news," he said. He also pointed out that the loan to pay the December salary is "an interesting measure, as it will not cause any harm to the employee."
The president of the Nurses' Union, Shirley Morales, celebrated the announcement. "It's a plausible proposal and ensures that Health and Education workers receive their salaries within the month they work," she said. Regarding the alternative payment for December's salaries, she highlighted that the bonus will compensate for the disruptions caused.