Coutinho questions gov’t on hiring of non-locals

Lawmaker Pereira Coutinho has questioned the government through a written enquiry on the alleged hiring of non-local workers by several public services, mainly from mainland China, to occupy positions within the administration.

Dated mid-December last year, the enquiry is now waiting for a reply from the administration.

In the enquiry, Coutinho claims to have received complaints from several civil servants alleging that the services that employ them are hiring workers under the Individual Labor Contract regime (CIT). The regime clearly states that its use is restricted to very special and particular cases, such as when the supply of such professionals is crucial or when the candidate has a high degree of specialization.

Additionally, the lawmaker presented a reminder that when it comes to hiring non-resident workers (TNR), the laws in force clearly state that they must be specialized workers with a higher academic degree, higher technical skills or professional experience.

According to Coutinho, the cases reported do not comply with these rules as the mainland Chinese workers are mainly employed in functions related to translation and interpreting. Such functions could be performed by members of the local workforce.

The law also states that in these cases, the employer is duty-bound to provide accommodation to these workers, raising the question of whether the government is in fact following the law and, in that case, if the costs to the public coffers were properly accounted for.

The same enquiry notes that, as of September 2016, the hiring of non-resident workers amounted to 6.63 percent of the total hired workforce (2,006 workers), leading Coutinho to suspect that the CIT regime is being abused.