STF Rules National Teacher Pay Floor Covers Temporary Public-School Teachers

Overview

• The Supreme Federal Court unanimously ruled Thursday that temporary public-school teachers must receive the national salary floor of R$5,130.63 for a 40-hour week, setting a binding precedent for all courts.
• The case began with a Pernambuco teacher paid about R$1,400 for 150 hours a month who won in the state court after an initial denial, which led the state to appeal.
• The justices clarified that recognizing the floor for temporary teachers does not equalize other employment benefits with permanent staff.
• The Court also capped the reassignment of permanent education workers to other posts at 5% of the workforce in each state to discourage excessive temporary hiring.
• States and cities that have not paid the floor will need to adjust payrolls, with federal Fundeb transfers covering part of wages and a large temporary workforce of roughly 42% adding fiscal and staffing pressures.