President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended on Thursday the granting of real increases for the minimum wage and questioned the impact of this policy on public accounts. During a ceremony at the Palácio do Planalto, he criticized those who claim that real increases would end the minimum wage, asking what a 3% increase would represent for the country.
Lula stated that the debate over fiscal balance frequently transfers responsibility to workers, retirees, and social welfare program beneficiaries. He questioned the logic of blaming these groups for fiscal difficulties.
At the same ceremony, the government announced it had eliminated the backlog of initial INSS requests. According to the data presented, the average time for a decision fell to 34 days, below the 45-day period used as a reference by the Executive. The government clarified that this does not mean there are no pending requests, but that requests are now being analyzed within the established period.
