Chamber approves preferential hiring of Correios and Telebras

This Wednesday (November 8, 2023), the Chamber of Deputies approved PL (bill) 2721 of 2023, which establishes the preferential contracting of Correios by federal public bodies for services provided on a non-exclusive basis. The text included Telebras in the scheme and will be forwarded for presidential sanction.

The project defines that it will be up to the Executive Branch to regulate the rules and conditions for providing postal and multimedia communication services. Before a Senate substitute was approved, the text was sent to the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Communications. The original text is by deputy André Figueiredo (PDT-CE).

PLENARY DEBATE

In the debate on the project in the Plenary, government officials highlighted the strategic role of the two public companies. For deputy Maria do Rosário (PT-RS), companies like Correios and Telebras unite Brazil. “The proposal has the merit of increasing the efficiency of the Post Office and public services”he said.

Representative Ana Pimentel (PT-MG) stated that the project reinforces the public interest of Correios and Telebras. “We live in a geographically diverse country, and the postal service must guarantee rights”, he said. The public service, according to her, must strengthen state-owned companies.

For the opposition, however, the measure goes against economic freedom. Representative Gilson Marques (Novo-SC) said that the text violates the free market. “This proposal restricts hiring possibilities, it is forcing the public service to hire a worse and more expensive service”he stated.

Representative Marcos Pollon (PL-MS) criticized the project for resulting in the elimination of tenders. He advocated competition in postal services. “If Fedex [empresa norte-americana] entering here in Brazil, the Post Office goes bankrupt”he stated.

With information from Chamber Agency