Government backs down and will remove urgency from project that regulates app drivers

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) decided this week to withdraw the urgency of the bill that aims to regulate the work of app drivers. The proposal, which was presented in March after a year of discussions, was the subject of a meeting between the Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, and the President of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), this Tuesday (9) after criticism and lack of support.

The proposal was a campaign promise by Lula and generated wear and tear on the government. The main resistance came from the app drivers themselves, who held protests last week in several Brazilian capitals stating that their earnings could be reduced and the established minimum hourly rate could become a constant in the platforms’ remuneration.

When proceeding on an urgent basis, which Marinho intended in the house, the deputies would have a period of 45 days to discuss the matter. However, faced with pressure from the category and congressmen, the government chose to remove the urgency, avoiding a possible defeat, since the matter, if voted on, would probably not be approved.

Marinho defended the maintenance of urgency, however, after the meeting with Lira, it was agreed that the text will undergo analysis by three thematic committees of the Chamber – CCJ (Constitution, Justice and Citizenship Committee), Labor and Industry –, with no definition yet on who will be the rapporteur on the matter.

The government leader in the Chamber, José Guimarães (PT-CE), recognized earlier that the urgency could be removed at the request of the Executive, and defended that the vote take place until June 15th.

“The way forward is to remove the urgency and establish a calendar. He needs to define the rapporteur for the matter so that there can be a debate with the country, with society”, he stated.

The project aims to frame the work of application drivers as a technological research and development of technological innovation (PDI) activity, allowing the sector to benefit from tax incentives provided for in cultural promotion laws, such as the Rouanet Law and the Audiovisual Law.

Furthermore, the text establishes contributions to the INSS, maternity benefit and minimum payment per hour of work in the amount of R$32.10, corresponding to a minimum wage.

Minister Luiz Marinho, however, minimized the criticism and stated that there was a “deconstruction of content” on social media that led to the protests.

“We practically spent 15 days in Parliament with an ineffective agenda, which greatly hindered the debate and dialogue with the leaders. We came to show each item of the project. It is about labor protection, creating minimum conditions, and at the same time qualifying companies to comply with a law that needs to be established”, he pointed out.

Entities representing drivers criticize the project, especially in relation to the working hours limit and the amount of remuneration. Despite this, the government calculates that the regulation could have a positive impact on social security revenue, estimating that companies contribute R$203 million per month to Social Security, and workers, R$79 million.