“Vale-Peru”: the SP Chamber pays R$2,000 in food bonuses at Christmas

The municipality of São Paulo will double the payment of food stamps to its approximately two thousand employees in December. The aid amounts to R$2,000 and is paid monthly. A resolution approved at the end of 2024, however, approved the payment of a sort of 13th benefit starting this year.

So, in practice, employees will receive a food voucher of approximately R$4,000 at the end of the year.

Behind the scenes of the Chamber, employees began calling the Christmas benefit “Vale-Peru,” in reference to how a similar benefit became known and sparked controversy last year, when the Court of Justice of Mato Grosso do Sul attempted to approve a “turbocharged” R$10,000 food check.

In addition to the R$2,000 food voucher – which will be doubled this month – municipal employees already receive R$93 per day in meal vouchers. In March this year, the “VR” experienced an adjustment of 9.4%, which is almost double the inflation accumulated between April 2024 and March 2025, which was 5.48%, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The increase was published in the Official Journal during the July parliamentary recess. At the time, the Speaker of the House said the percentage was not higher than inflation. “The variation in the catering price index in the city of São Paulo, measured by the CPI-FIPE, was taken into account, covering the period from March 24 to February 25,” he explained.

Health assistance

Another benefit readjusted by the House this year was health care assistance. Currently, the Casa model is reimbursement, of which the table adjustment of 22% was authorized in June. The ceilings which were R$654.86 for the age group between 0 and 18 years, up to R$5,892.63 for people aged 59 or over, were readjusted to R$798.93 and R$7,189.01.

Despite this, transparency data indicates that some employees receive around R$14,000 in medical aid reimbursement. According to the Chamber, the value represents transfers from the plans also for dependents, and not just for holders. In July, total repayments amounted to 5.9 million reais.

“The law approved in 2023 established an objective criterion for inflationary correction in the sector, establishing, as a parameter, the arithmetic average of the annual adjustments made in the collective plans of private health and/or dental operators duly registered with the Complementary National Health Agency,” informed the Chamber, in a note.

According to the São Paulo Parliament, the increase followed “objective inflation correction parameters for the health sector already defined in the legal text” and did not represent “the creation or expansion of benefits.”

“According to the correction parameter indicated, the percentage was 23.27%, therefore the percentage applied by the Chamber (22%) was lower than that calculated,” explained the Chamber.

In addition to reimbursement of expenses related to the health plan, employees of the Chamber also have access to health infrastructure from professionals who work within the House. Last Friday (12/05), a law published in the Official Journal now authorizes former advisors to also use outpatient care from the Chamber’s medical service.

The medical service operates without interruption during the week, with three areas of activity: occupational medicine examinations (admission, periodic, return to work, change of risk and dismissal), emergency care in case of urgent clinical complications and accidents, in addition to primary care consultations and monitoring of comorbidities.

The department, located in the 1st basement, has two occupational physicians, an occupational health technician, three nurses, two health care technicians, a nursing assistant, six clinical doctors, a gynecologist and an ophthalmologist.

According to the Chamber, only mandatory examinations paid for by the employer are carried out in outpatient clinics to control occupational risks.

“The Chamber emphasizes that the service’s priority is compliance with labor laws and action in emergency and primary care to meet regulatory standards for occupational health and safety,” the Chamber said.

Salary adjustment

In April of the same year, the municipal council granted employees an annual increase of 5.06%. For other categories of municipal employees, this increase was approved in two installments: one of 2.6% from May and another of R$2.55, which will take place in 2026.

The slightest increase compared to House employees sparked criticism from the categories. The salary proposal made by the city of São Paulo also sparked a reaction from the unions, who even mobilized demonstrations and strikes at the time.