Santa Maria da Boa Vista (PE): nursing floor is fair, but value transferred to municipalities needs to change, says mayor

The definition of a higher salary floor for professionals in the nursing area brought challenges to city halls across the country. Since the signing of the National Congress Bill (PLN) that regulates the minimum salary for nursing professionals, which ranges from R$2,300 to R$4,700, municipal managers have become apprehensive about local coffers.

The mayor of Santa Maria da Boa Vista (PE), George Duarte, explains that with the increase proposed by the government, the municipality needs R$ 320 thousand per month to pay for the floor, but the transfer that is made is only R$ 38 thousand, which generates a deficit of almost R$ 2 million in the year.

“We are not against any increase in any category, but as long as the source of the revenue is mentioned and that it is passed on to the municipalities. Then we will be able to give this increase with peace of mind. If this is not the case, it is impossible for us to be able to pay the floor”, he adds.

On the last 30th, during a meeting held at the headquarters of the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM) in Brasília, which discussed the nursing salary floor and was attended by municipal managers from all over the country, the president of the Confederation, Paulo Ziulkoski, he expressed that, although they are not against the readjustment of the floor, the requirement that the city halls finance this increase could bring more difficulties for the municipal budgets.

“I think everyone has to earn well and nurses have to earn. Now, they have to have money to pay. In this period, with a year and a half left to end the mandate, Brazilian municipalities are already exceeding the spending limit in all areas, with a red account. What can be done? If a floor like this comes into force, this crisis deepens”, he says.

The CNM reported that the review of the minimum wage for nurses, technicians and nursing assistants and midwives will generate an increase of R$ 10.5 billion in municipal expenses. PEC 25/2022 is currently stagnant in the House Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ). The group of mayors is making an effort to persuade parliamentarians to put the proposal on the agenda for voting.