Chamber of Deputies rejects idea of ​​legislating public sector readjustment

The Chamber of Deputies rejected this Thursday night the idea of ​​legislating the readjustment of public sector salaries with 60 votes against and 45 in favor.

The main questions from the deputies to the project were against the figure of 2.7% increase in salaries and the absence of a Covid bonus of at least $ 200 thousand for health workers.

Now the government will have to insist on the bill in the Senate, the same situation that it had to face at the time with the discussion of the minimum wage, which was rejected in the first instance in the Chamber of Deputies.

The DC deputy and member of the House Labor Commission, Gabriel Silber affirmed that “we reject the readjustment to the public sector, because we have a minister who does not keep his word. When we passed the Budget law, he committed to a Covid bonus for health workers who risked their lives in this pandemic and did not comply with the lower salaries, an adjustment that was due to the rise in the cost of living ” .

Before the discussion in the Chamber, in a long session, the Chamber’s Finance Committee had dispatched the bill, rejecting more than 30 articles of the 87 that the articles contemplated, including the 2.7% figure.

Although in that instance, the text was approved in general with the votes of ChileVamos and the DC deputy, José Miguel Ortiz, in particular the opposition did not support the figure proposed by the government because they consider that it represents a setback to workers’ income. , as there are bonuses that are not incorporated such as the term of conflict and the holiday.

On this point, the Minister of Finance, Ignacio Briones explained that “we are talking about a readjustment of gross remuneration. The vouchers are a separate item, and prior to 2012 the vacation voucher did not exist. This time we are experiencing a black crisis, and this readjustment has to be different, it cannot be the same as last year ”.

A proposal that raised a rash in the debate in the Commission was Article 82 to modify the statute of the Directorate of Welfare of Carabineros de Chile, to empower it “to contract legal defense insurance for its personnel, which must be active at the time of hire him ”.

“It would be unpresentable to approve something like this. In Chile everyone has the right to a public defense, I don’t see why you should have special insurance, especially in those circumstances, ”said Congressman Giorgio Jackson (RD). “It is entirely logical that they take out insurance for their defense, they have every right because it is the money that they will contribute universally,” said deputy Leopoldo Pérez (RN).

An article 87 raised suspicions in some deputies, as a new article is incorporated into the project to withdraw pension funds so that the Internal Revenue Service (SII) “provides timely information to the Ministry of Social Development” so that the beneficiaries of subsidies or some other state support are not affected by having withdrawn 10% of their pension funds. This is because the project indicates that this withdrawal is not considered income for the characterization of households.

In this regard, the deputy Gabriel Silber (DC) presented a rule to eliminate the possibility that the Ministry of Finance requested records with rut from another public service.

The reimbursement that Fonasa gives to the compensation funds to administer the benefits of the work disability subsidies derived from medical leave is increased. Then, from a current price of 0.6%, the transfer from Fonasa to the savings banks is increased to 3.1%.

In addition, the project incorporates another article so that the Management Improvement Programs do not require the signatures of so many ministries, but only the signature of the Ministry of Finance is enough to make sense. Although deputy Pablo Lorenzini (DC) suggested not giving the Treasury so much preponderance, the deputies approved the proposal that would seek to simplify the processes.

Teleworking is extended until 2023 to different services: Directorate of Compas and Public Contracting, Superintendency of Social Security, Comptroller’s Office, National Institute of Statistics (INE), and others – health and pension superintendencies, and Sernapesca – are empowered to generate a remote work plan.

Likewise, the transfer of personnel from Corfo to a special agenda in the Segpres is specified, and compensation is established for officials who will cease their positions in Sename due to the restructuring process that will entail the creation of the Specialized Protection Service for Children and Adolescence.

Article 86 contemplates special conditions for the retirement of officials over 75 years of age as of December 31, 2020, generating vacancies in the position. The compensation that would benefit about 500 people will be for 6 months payable in a single installment. The Budget Office stated that it will not have a ceiling and the amount will be equal to the gross monthly remuneration. As people will have 6 months in 2021 to resign, they assume that they will have one year of salary protected. “This is brutal discrimination, of which I am not going to take part,” said deputy Manuel Monsalve (PS), before which the minister recalled that 75 years is a threshold that is used in the judiciary, in universities and in other latitudes.

The initiative incorporates a power for the Ministry of Finance to order the subdivision of the Single Fiscal Account (CUF) to prevent vulnerability in transactions. The payroll of up to 4 banks will be made by the Commission for the Financial Market.

Minister Briones justified this proposal in the last cyber attacks: “It will be understood that when the chain of payments that includes payment of salaries, suppliers, issuance of bonds is interrupted, in short, a huge problem is generated for the State. The criterion here is that we be allowed to diversify in an extraordinary way in case of emergency if it happens again ”. The idea is that in the event of a problem, you can act with other banks for up to 60 calendar days.