After defend the return of child labor.Presidential pre-candidate Romeu Zema, from the Novo Party, presented a proposal to reform the Bolsa Família program, which includes new requirements for beneficiaries deemed eligible for work. The main change suggested is linking the receipt of the benefit to the acceptance of job opportunities.
The statements were made during an interview on the Canal Livre program, on CHOOSE YOUR WRISTBANDIn his speech, Zema stated that he intends to maintain the social program for those who truly need it, but with adjustments aimed at combating fraud and integrating beneficiaries into the formal job market.
Change in benefit rules
According to the pre-candidate, the model he intends to implement foresees that beneficiaries will receive a list of available job openings and can only refuse one of the options presented. The proposal, according to him, seeks to prevent people who are fit for work from remaining in the program without seeking employment.
"The Bolsa Família program and other social programs are extremely important. We will maintain them for those who need them. We know there is a lot of fraud, which I will combat. And I will also not pay government assistance, Bolsa Família, to overweight people, which is what is growing the most in Brazil. We are creating a generation of useless people," he said.
The politician also argued that there are formal opportunities available in the country and criticized behaviors that, according to him, are associated with dependence on benefits.
"There are jobs with formal contracts, and grown men stay at home, on social media, watching Netflix, and prefer to receive government assistance; they don't study, they don't work, they live at the government's expense, and occasionally do odd jobs to supplement their income," he stated.
Criticisms of informality
Zema linked the current format of the program to an indirect encouragement of informality. According to the pre-candidate, some beneficiaries supplement their income with jobs without formal contracts and remain in the program for extended periods.
“Today we have an incentive for this informality, for the perpetuation of this situation, in which the father has already lived like this and the son is learning to live like this. He earns an extra R$ 1.000 with odd jobs, he has no commitment to schedules or learning. In 10 or 15 years, he will continue to be totally unqualified as he is today,” he declared.
According to him, the proposal aims to encourage professional training and entry into the formal job market. Despite the candidate's statement, recent data indicates that the program helps families break the cycle of poverty. Ten teenagers who lived in families receiving Bolsa Família benefits in 2014 will no longer depend on the program by 2025.
Statements about youth and work
Over the weekend, Zema also spoke out following the repercussions of statements made in an interview on the podcast Inteligência Ltda., in which he mentioned the possibility of children "helping" with activities considered simple.
After facing criticism on social media, the former governor stated that his defense focuses on expanding opportunities for teenagers, guaranteeing their protection without compromising their formal education. He cited Brazilian legislation that allows apprenticeships starting at age 14.
“Education and decent work are what build character, discipline, and a future. In Brazil, this is already permitted from the age of 14 as an apprentice, but we need to expand these opportunities with protection, without interfering with school, as already happens in many developed countries. Now, let's talk about the reality here: millions of young people already work informally today, without rules or any protection,” he stated.
Leave a comment