A veiled dispute within the executive branch threatens a campaign promise of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT): to eliminate the INSS (National Institute of Social Security) queue.
The number of requests awaiting analysis reached a record high of 2.86 million in October and it is possible that it could reach 3 million by the end of this year.
Although there are also technical factors behind this increase, such as the increase in the number of requests and the delay of analyzes due to operational difficulties at Dataprev, the struggle between the commands of the Ministry of Social Security and the INSS is considered an obstacle to the adoption of improvements in queue management.
Over the past few days, the Leaf spoke with eight people who were either involved to some extent in the queue discussions or who became the epicenter of the fight between the two agencies.
On the one hand, Social Security, led by Minister Wolney Queiroz, notes insubordinate attitudes on the part of the current president of the INSS, Gilberto Waller Jr., appointed directly by Lula at the height of the fraud crisis in pension reductions of associations and unions.
According to this group, the president of the institute ignores the ministry in government announcements, does not maintain dialogue with the ministry and uses the body to promote his personal image during his travels across the country.
Some even wonder if Waller Jr. intends to run for office – something the INSS president denies. In a note, he affirms that the trips “are essential to understand regional realities, listen to local leaders and propose concrete improvements” and specifies that he is not affiliated with any political party.
On the other hand, the command of the institute notes attempts at sabotage, accuses the ministry of wanting to overthrow the current management of the INSS and arouses suspicion on people who were already at the ministry when the discount scandal broke out.
Queiroz served as executive secretary to former minister Carlos Lupi, and other members of his team also held positions before Operação Sem Desconto. They have always denied any involvement in this affair.
Amid the crossfire, workers wait for a response to their benefits application. The queue, which was already growing under the leadership of Alessandro Steffanutto – former president of the INSS arrested by the federal police on suspicion of involvement in fraud – has now reached record levels.
Contacted, the INSS indicates that it has implemented “several measures aimed at dealing with this situation, such as the realization of joint efforts and, more recently, the creation of a committee to combat the queue”. The Ministry of Social Security did not respond. THE Leaf He also contacted Secom (Communication Secretariat of the Presidency), which did not respond.
One of the episodes of attrition was the suspension of the payment of bonuses to employees due to lack of money. The INSS received a budget of BRL 100 million to pay employees for additional analysis of administrative processes, on the condition of prioritizing the review of benefits. Medical expertise, linked to the ministry, received the same amount.
Reportedly, under Waller Jr.’s leadership, the institute accelerated the review of initial applications and left agreed-upon review in the background. As a result, the bonus money ran out faster.
From then on, a war of versions broke out. People close to the INSS president say he was only informed of the problem the day before the funds ran out. But Social Security technicians and the institute itself say they issued warnings about the pace of execution of the premium up to two months before the suspension.
The subject was discussed at the Palácio do Planalto during service review control meetings, with representatives of the Civil House. Waller Jr. was not present, but was represented by a director.
A member of the economic team believes that there was an accelerated execution of the bonus, in disagreement with what was agreed with the government.
The crisis has also generated fissures within the institute. Waller Jr. blames Director of Information Technology Lea Bressy for the episode because her area deals with service management. Those close to the director, however, attribute these accusations to the fact that she maintained a dialogue with the ministry, which displeased the command of the institute.
Bressy arrived at the central command of the INSS under the leadership of Stefanutto. After taking over the corps, Waller Jr. kept her in that position and even gave her the acting presidency in his absence.
In early November, while Waller Jr. was on vacation, Bressy made appointments that irritated the institute’s president. He tried to remove her from office, but the decision depends on the approval of the Minister of Social Security, who has demanded more explanations. For now, she remains in office.
An experienced technician, who has worked in different governments, believes that there are difficulties in the dialogue between the two organizations, which even touch on bureaucratic issues, such as issuing passwords to ministry employees to access INSS data.
A little over two weeks ago, Waller Jr. established a strategic committee to reduce the INSS application queue, staffed by seven employees and coordinated by a member of the presidential cabinet. This measure was seen as a way of emptying the responsibilities of IT management. At Social Security, the criticism is the absence of representatives within the organization to try to find a common solution to the problem.