President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated this Thursday, 30th, in a speech on national television and radio on the occasion of Labor Day, on May 1st, that the government’s new debt renegotiation program will be launched next Monday, 4th.
The president stated that Novo Desenrola Brasil – in reference to the program created by the PT member in 2023 – is a set of measures to “help resolve the financial lives of indebted families”. Today, the debt of the Brazilian population is reaching record levels – which worries the president, who will seek re-election in October.
Lula stated that Novo Desenrola will offer discounts of 30% to 90% on the value of the debt by allowing the exchange of more expensive outstanding debts for cheaper rates, limited to 1.99% per month.
“Workers will be able to negotiate debts from credit cards, special checks, revolving loans, personal credit and even Fies (Student Financing Fund). This way, you will have a much smaller installment and more time to pay your debt”, stated the president.
The use of up to 20% of the FGTS balance will be allowed to pay off the debt, stated Lula – as the Minister of Labor and Employment, Luiz Marinho, had already anticipated this week.
Lula stated, however, that beneficiaries of the program will be prevented from betting on betting platforms. “What you cannot do is renegotiate the debt and continue losing money betting on bets. Therefore, anyone who joins Novo Desenrola Brasil will be blocked for a year on all online betting platforms. It is not fair that women have to work even harder to pay off their husbands’ gambling debts”, said the president.
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Lula also sought to credit the government of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) with the entry of online betting platforms and promised to “put a limit on the destruction” of these companies.
According to Estadão/Broadcast, debts overdue for more than 91 days and less than two years will be eligible for renegotiation. Only people who earn up to five minimum wages will be able to refinance their debts within the rules of the measure.
The government will use the Operations Guarantee Fund (FGO) to guarantee these renegotiations. It will be necessary to make a contribution of up to R$10 billion into the fund for this, the report found.
The president’s speech on national television follows the guide adopted by Lula this year. The main mission of the Minister of Finance, Dario Durigan, is to find ways to alleviate family debts, aiming at the government’s popularity in the run-up to the election. On the other hand, the president has toughened his speech against betting and has already said, publicly, that he is in favor of a total ban on this activity.
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My friends and my friends.
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Tomorrow, May 1st, is Labor Day. I want to talk to you, who works hard for five, six, even seven days a week and sees the fruits of your effort go to pay your family’s debts.
We find Brazil and Brazilians in debt. Family debt has grown for years and is now suffocating a part of Brazilian society. Therefore, next Monday, we will launch Novo Desenrola Brasil, a set of measures to help resolve the financial lives of indebted families.
Workers will be able to negotiate credit card, special check, revolving, personal credit and even FIES debts.
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Indebted Brazilians will have lower interest rates, of a maximum of 1.99%, and discounts of 30% up to 90% on the value of the debt. This way, you will have a much smaller installment and more time to pay your debt. And each person will be able to withdraw up to 20% of the balance of the Severance Indemnity Fund (FGTS).
Now, what you cannot do is renegotiate the debt and continue losing money betting on bets. Therefore, anyone who joins Novo Desenrola Brasil will be blocked for one year on all online betting platforms. It’s not fair that women have to work even harder to pay off their husbands’ gambling debts.
It was not our government that let bets enter Brazil, but it is our government that will put a limit on the destruction they have been causing.
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My friends and my friends.
May 1st is a date that honors the struggle of women and men around the world for better working conditions. And that, this year, here in Brazil, has a special meaning. Because, this April, we took a historic step for our country.
I sent a bill to the National Congress to reduce working hours, which will now be a maximum of 40 hours per week, with two days off per week, without a reduction in salary.
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It makes no sense that, in the 21st century, with all the technological evolution, millions of Brazilians have to work six days a week to rest just one day. For women, the situation is much more difficult. They arrive tired from work and, most of the time, still need to take care of the house and children.
The end of the 6×1 scale will guarantee more time with the family. More time to watch your children grow, study, take care of your health, go to church, live beyond work. More time to rest, because I know how tired Brazilian workers are.
I know very well that all workers’ rights were won with a lot of struggle.
The Brazilian elite has always been against improvements for workers: the minimum wage, paid vacations, the 13th salary. The group upstairs said that each of these achievements would break Brazil. And Brazil never failed to give workers rights. It always got stronger. Because every time a worker’s life improves, the economy’s wheel turns more powerfully, and everyone ends up winning. This is what will happen with the end of the 6×1 scale in Brazil.
My friends and my friends.
Countries around the world are feeling the effects of the war in the Middle East. Oil has become more expensive, and this has put pressure on fuel prices across the planet. When fuel prices rise, the cost of transport increases, the price of food increases and the cost of living becomes more expensive for the people. But our government acted quickly.
With a lot of effort, we removed fuel taxes, took a series of urgent measures to contain the rise in prices, guarantee supply and alleviate the burden of the war on Brazilian families. Thanks to these actions, Brazil has been one of the countries least affected by the global crisis.
In an increasingly unstable world, with wars and uncertainties spreading, it is essential that the Brazilian Government is on the side of the people. Our nation needs to be protected. Our sovereignty and our riches must be defended. Brazil is too big to lower its head. Brazil does not accept being anyone’s backyard.
My friends and my friends.
We have the lowest inflation accumulated in four years in the history of Brazil, the lowest unemployment rate, and the average income of workers is the highest in the history of Brazil.
We resumed the appreciation of the minimum wage. We zeroed Income Tax for those earning up to R$5,000 and reduced it for those earning up to R$7,350. We advance the 13th salary of retirees in every year of our government. We approved the expansion of paternity leave so that men have more time to care for their newborn children.
But all of this is still little compared to the needs of Brazilian families.
My friends and my friends.
The obstacles that lie ahead are enormous. Every time we take a step forward to improve the lives of the Brazilian people, the system works against us. The top floor, the billionaires, the elite who only think about maintaining privileges at the expense of the people. If it depended on the system, not even slavery would have been abolished in Brazil. But every day I renew my faith in God and in the Brazilian people, in the strength of those who get up early, face difficulties, cultivate hope and never give up on their dreams.
You who have a formal contract, who are MEI, who work through an app, who do odd jobs, who sell online. You are the one who cares, who teaches, who takes a full bus, you who plants, harvests, cooks and builds. You who are an honest and hard-working person, you who live off your work, whatever it may be, be certain this May 1st: the Government of Brazil is on your side.
A big hug and long live Labor Day.
