A recent survey by the consulting firm Management & Fit reveals a strong contrast in public opinion regarding the reform package promoted by the Government. While some initiatives receive significant levels of social support, labor and pension reforms concentrate the highest levels of rejection, in a context of economic adjustment, drop in purchasing power and open political debate in Congress.
According to the study, the labor reform is disapproved by 52 percent of those surveyed, compared to 43 percent who are in favor. The rejection is even more marked in the case of the pension reform, which garners 67 percent disagreement, against just 32 percent support, making it the initiative with the worst image within the analyzed package.
In contrast, other reforms show a more favorable outlook. The penal reform has a broad social consensus: 72 percent agree and only 23 percent disagree, a fact that is usually associated with the centrality that security and crime issues have on the public agenda. For its part, the tax reform appears more balanced, with 47 percent approval and 41 percent rejection, reflecting a society divided regarding the proposed tax changes.
The Management & Fit survey is known at a time when the Government seeks to advance with structural transformations of the economic and labor system, while facing union resistance, claims from retirees and warnings from the opposition about the social impact of the measures. The data show that, beyond the support for some initiatives, the reforms that directly affect income, employment and pensions continue to be the most sensitive for public opinion.
The majority rejection of the labor and pension reforms seems to be directly linked to the social climate that the country is going through. The combination of still high inflation, loss of real income and increase in unemployment and informality reinforces the fear that the changes imply greater job insecurity and a deterioration in retirement benefits. In this framework, unions, retiree organizations and opposition sectors warn that the reforms could deepen inequality and pass on the cost of adjustment to workers and older adults, while the Government maintains that these are necessary measures to organize the economy and guarantee the long-term sustainability of the system.
