House committee approves proposal for salary floor for nurses

The special committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved, this Thursday (7), the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) 11/2022, which determines the salary floor for nurses, nursing technicians, nursing assistants and midwives. The vote was symbolic, with only the Novo party voting against. Now, the text goes to the Plenary for consideration.

The purpose of the PEC is to give legal certainty to the bill 2564/20 and prevent the new floors from being challenged in court with the justification of “deficit of initiative”, if a constitutional provision on the subject was not approved.

Bill 2564/20 has already been approved by Congress and provides for a minimum starting salary for nurses of R$4,750, to be paid nationally by public and private health services. In the other categories, there will be proportionality: 70% of the floor of nurses for nursing technicians; and 50% for nursing assistants and midwives.

The text also provides for the annual update of the floor of the category based on the National Consumer Price Index (INPC) and ensures the maintenance of salaries eventually higher than the initial suggested value, regardless of the working day for which the professional has been hired. The project still awaits presidential sanction or veto.

The PEC rapporteur, deputy Carmen Zanotto (Citizenship-SC), highlighted that improving the floor is an investment and not an expense, as it improves the quality of the service provided. “Our task does not end with the two votes in plenary, our task continues,” she said.

The expectation is that the PEC11 will be appreciated in the Plenary of the Chamber still this Thursday, but it depends on a vote of urgency request for this to happen in the same session.