In the midst of an internal crisis that has been going on for months, the presidency of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), occupied by Marcio Pochmann, released on the night of Wednesday, 15th, a statement refuting the criticism it has received from civil servants , represented by the category union. In the text, the presidency speaks of “conflicts of individual and private interests in relation to the institutional mission of IBGE”, “risks of manipulation” and “dissemination and constant repetition of untruths”, suggesting that the institute will resort to justice against the criticism received.
“The dissemination and constant repetition of untruths regarding IBGE requires a firm and clarifying position on the reality of the facts. The attacks by employees and former employees, union institutions, among others, who have space on the internet and in media outlets to spread lies about the IBGE itself, are reprehensible”, states Pochmann’s statement.
One of the main triggers for the crisis between the presidency and workers was the creation of the private law foundation IBGE+, nicknamed “parallel IBGE”.
The national executive of the IBGE workers union, Assibge-SN, states that the measure was implemented “in a confidential manner and without consultation with employees, in July 2024”.
“The creation of a private law foundation to manage ‘technological innovation’ within the body, carried out without consulting technical staff, the scientific community and society, opens a dangerous and unprecedented flank for the interference of private interests in the geostatistical system national”, warned the union, in an open letter to society and the scientific community, published this week. “The creation of the private law foundation entitled IBGE+ by the Pochmann administration took the entire IBGE technical staff by surprise. There was no prior discussion on the matter with the house’s workers.”
In Wednesday’s official statement, Pochmann suggests that the IBGE+ foundation is “the target of a strong disinformation campaign as it possibly highlights conflicts of private interests that exist within IBGE”.
Continues after advertising
“Not only were debates held with federal bodies and the IBGE Board of Directors, but all directors of this Board followed the discussions, approved all documents and signed the minutes of creation of the IBGE+ Foundation, registered with a notary and approved unanimously, in an act documented in text and images”, guarantees Pochmann’s letter.
IBGE is facing a moment of handing over management positions. Last week, the organization announced that the organization’s Research Directorate would have new command, with the replacement of director Elizabeth Belo Hypólito and deputy director João Hallak Neto. Servants appointed a year ago by Pochmann himself, both would have asked for dismissal from their positions due to disagreements with the current management, sources told the BroadcastGrupo Estado’s real-time news system.
The director of Geosciences, Ivone Lopes Batista, would also have asked to resign from her position, but her departure has not yet been announced as she is awaiting a decision on a replacement, sources say. In a statement, the union that represents IBGE workers, Assibge-SN, mentioned a worsening of the internal crisis at the organization.
Continues after advertising
In addition to the IBGE+ foundation, workers complain about decisions by Pochmann management regarding the transfer of workers from a rented building in the center of Rio de Janeiro to a facility of the Federal Data Processing Service (Serpro) in the south zone of the capital of Rio de Janeiro, in addition the end of the fully remote work regime. The reaction of the union and part of the workers to the determination to return to partially in-person work would have been triggered “in defense of private interests and contradicted by the end of the full remote regime”, alleged Pochmann’s text.
“The temporary transfer of servers allocated to the Avenida Chile unit will allow IBGE annual savings of approximately 84% in relation to the R$ 15 million annually spent on rent and maintenance costs that this unit consumed at the beginning of the current administration. These resources will be used for renovations of the units in the center and on Avenida Canabarro (both in the capital of Rio de Janeiro), work that will begin this January”, argued the statement from the institute’s presidency.
In the text, Pochmann’s management signals that it will take legal action against criticism received.
Continues after advertising
“The suspicion lightly generated about the possibility of data manipulation in a technical house is a direct attack on the credibility of the IBGE, aggravated precisely by the fact that it is produced by those who know in depth the rigor, methodology and professional ethics that conduct a institution of almost 90 years. In this scenario, the IBGE management will follow the example set by the Federal Supreme Court and the Federal Attorney General’s Office, which have been judicially confronting misinformation and lies”, says the statement from the institute’s presidency.
In recent months, the IBGE employees’ union has led different worker mobilizations, including temporary strikes, against what they call the “authoritarianism” of the Pochmann management. The employees demand dialogue and clarifications from the current management on measures such as the creation of the IBGE+ private law foundation, changes to the institute’s statutes, changes to employees’ workplaces and the abolition of completely remote work.
