In a meeting with state deputies from the allied base on Tuesday morning (7/16), Governor Eduardo Leite presented a bill to restructure the careers of state public servants. The proposal, which aims to improve the structure of permanent positions and define possibilities for advancement, will be discussed and voted on in the Legislative Assembly later this week. The changes will affect 38,238 employees, both active and retired.
During the meeting, the governor detailed the fiscal situation of recent years and explained how it affected the availability of employees able to meet demands, especially after the calamities faced by Rio Grande do Sul. According to the State Planning, Governance, and Management Secretariat (SPGG), the state had a reduction of 30,000 employees in 12 years, mainly due to the low attractiveness of careers in the state executive branch.
Leite emphasized that the recent main challenge was fiscal, in organizing accounts and adjusting expenses to the state’s financial reality. “We implemented measures that were considered unpopular, but aimed to put spending on a sustainable level, with employees contributing to make it possible,” he explained. “Now we need to work on retaining talent and meeting the continuously arriving demands, as well as motivating employees to progress in their careers, providing greater transparency to this evolution.”
The formulation of the Personnel Strategy proposal was led by the SPGG over a year of work. Since last week, the head of the department, Danielle Calazans, and the team from the Undersecretariat for Management and Personnel Development have met with several entities and employee unions to discuss the project.
“We held meetings with representatives of all categories to understand the needs and evaluate requests for improvements. We reached a robust and consistent final project that will restructure careers, providing clear rules for promotions and progressions, making work in the state public administration more attractive,” said Danielle.
To tackle the challenge of hiring and retaining talent in the state executive branch, the government will propose the State Employee Plan, which restructures and reorganizes careers in the direct and indirect public administration. The goal is to equalize similar positions and define a progression range that avoids discrepancies between different careers.
Additionally, employee remuneration will be changed to a subsidy model, incorporating fixed benefits and allowing for greater transparency in payment. Career progression will occur through progression in three levels (I to III), based on periodic performance evaluations; and promotion in six grades (A to F), which will consist of grade changes based on evaluation history and a points system.
To implement the restructuring, the government ensured that there would be no loss of remuneration or regression in career classification compared to the current situation. The implementation will be phased in, respecting the state’s fiscal responsibility. The initial A and B grades of the new table are expected to receive the new subsidy in full in January 2025; grades C and D will have the implementation in two installments (January and October 2025); and grades E and F in three installments (January and October 2025, and October 2026).
In the indirect administration, the plan includes parity between positions in different entities, avoiding salary differences between positions with similar responsibilities. Additionally, the number of positions and functions is expected to be reduced from 847 to 557.
Another project aims to strengthen the structure of the State Agency for Regulation of Delegated Public Services of Rio Grande do Sul (Agergs). The goal is to improve the agency’s regulatory and oversight capacity, increasing the quality and efficiency of services.
The qualification of Rio Grande do Sul’s security forces will also be addressed in a project submitted to the Assembly. To value the workforce, crucial in responding to emergencies, employees of the Civil Police, Military Brigade, Military Fire Department, General Institute of Forensics, and the Penitentiary Services Superintendence will receive a 12% adjustment. The total implementation will be divided into three stages, with a 4% increase in each: in January and October 2025, and in October 2026.
The structure of the Civil Defense will be reinforced with the creation of the State Center for Integrated Risk and Disaster Management (Cegird) and the strengthening of Regional Coordinating Centers, which coordinate with the state’s 497 municipalities. There will be actions to spread disaster prevention initiatives and the development of contingency plans and protocols.
Due to the urgency of response after the disaster, the government will propose the temporary hiring of 2,500 employees for priority areas in the reconstruction of Rio Grande do Sul. The first hires are expected to take place in October of this year, with the rest in April 2025.