INC Dicas Launch Party "São Paulo Comes Alive"

The International Newcomer's Club was one of the first groups I joined, it is where I met some of my closest friends here in São Paulo and I feel very indebted to the ladies who vounteer their time to run this club. It is specifically for people who have just arrived in town and are looking to meet people, find out information and the one awesome thing you can buy is their "Dicas" / tips book. It has listed anything and everything you could possibly needs from dentists to schools, to restaurants and plumbers. Each company or service must be recommended by 2 different members to be included in the Dicas book.

Next Saturday they are having a party to launch the release of the next edition of the Dicas. See information below.

Dicas Launch Party

"São Paulo Comes Alive!"

On Saturday, September 14th, INC will celebrate the launch of the 11th edition of the Dicas city guide to São Paulo. Copies of the Dicas are spread throughout the city by our members, (relocation) companies and (international) schools. Congratulations in becoming an essential part of this handbook for newcomers to São Paulo and having your company or service recommended by one or more of our members! If you are curious to see the book, interested to buy it, or you'd like to join the party - send us an email!

We invite all newcomers, expats and others to join us at this party for a fun evening filled with food, drinks and caipirinhas, DJ performances, live music and décor… as if you are in the streets of São Paulo! And have a chance to win great prizes in the Charity Raffle while supporting the children at Vila Acalanto Orphanage.

Tickets can be bought via dicaslaunchparty@newcomers-sp.com.br.

When: Saturday, 14th of September, 20h00

Where: Esporte Clube Sírio, Av. Indianópolis 1192, Moema

Tickets: R$150
For more information: www.newcomers-sp.com.br

New household help laws

So if you haven't heard, the empregada unions have won the right to FGTS. FGTS is a tax that is paid by all employers (up until now, this was not a legal requirement for household help) and is essentially a redundancy pay out. I'm torn over the idea of this being a good or a bad thing for Brazil. If the idea is to move domestic employees into better paying jobs then there needs to be the support in place first before it happens. Training, education, job search agencies, a waiting period instead of changing overnight... There is an estimated 850,000 maids that will be fired because of this new law as families can't afford the rising costs. I'm going to let go of our weekly ironing lady - essentially the money that I pay her would be of more value in extra-hours for my full time empregada. I've come from 2 different backgrounds - growing up in New Zealand where my mother was a full-time mother who gave up her job to look after me and my sisters, to the second part of my life where we had a live-in filipino maid in Hong Kong. I wouldn't call either of these developing countries, so then the argument for Brazil's progress is redundant.

AND after attending the fantastic Women Changing Brazil Symposium the other week, I get my back up because I really want to set up a business here. I'm now trying to wrap my head around how our monthly expenditures are going to shoot through the roof as I try and juggle the children's schedules, keep track of our empregada's working hours, and bake cupcakes all day ; ).

The below information is from Patricia de Luna (our famous lawyer-dentist at the INC) who runs the course on domestic employment for the International Newcomer's Group of Sao Paulo. I blogged here about her presentation on household help last year. You must be a member to join her presentation which will be later this month once the law comes into effect (tomorrow). I would highly recommend becoming an INC member, if anything to have access to this knowledge base. She has kindly given me permission to copy over some of the information below she has been posting on the INC Facebook page (again, you need to be a member), as well as some answers to questions I had at the bottom. If you can't make the workshop at the end of the month (date to be confirmed), I will be blogging about it of course!

* Here is an online calculator to work out how much more you will be spending
** Reuters article on law change
*** More information from Folha, though in portuguese

****EMPREGADA LAW UPDATE****

TODAY, the Brazilian Senate approved the Constitutional Amendment that grants additional labor rights for domestic employees. It is is expected to be promulgated next Tuesday, April 2nd in a session of both houses of Congress.

The new legislation will take effect on that date for all domestic employees. However, some of the rights granted by the new legislation will require regulation and will not take effect immediately.

What rights are expected to be effective immediately?
- Domestic employees may not earn less than minimum wage;
- Salary protection (it is a crime to retain payment);
- Work hours limited to 8 hours per day, and 44 hours per week;
- Overtime pay (50%);
- Legal recognition of collective agreements;
- Reduction of labor risks;
- Differences in salary, tasks and admission criteria based on sex, age, color or marital status are prohibited.
- Discrimination of disabled employees is prohibited.
- Minors under 18 may not work at night or in circumstances that offer danger or health risks. Minors under 16 may not be employed.

What rights are expected to require regulation?
- FGTS
- Compensation in case of unfair dismissal;
- Unemployment insurance and family allowance, to be paid for by the government;
- Additional pay for work after 10pm;
- Daycare assistance;
- Insurance against accidents in the work environment.

No predictions have been made regarding when laws regulating these rights will pass.

How this new legislation will affect employment relations is still unknown and a number of questions have not been answered, including…
- How should you control and document work hours in your home?
- Will overtime pay and additional pay for work at night apply to employees who live in your home?

Please note that these changes are not applicable to independent daily workers, such as faxineiras.

For now, that’s all the information we have. INC is planning a workshop soon, and we will have more information.

Patricia de Luna

1 April 18:30

NEWCOMERS WITH EMPREGADAS: PLEASE READ THIS NOTE!

The new law for domestic maids (registered empregadas) will take effect tomorrow.

If you have not done so yet, sit with your maids and revisit their working hours to make sure you are both clear on what those times will be. Beginning tomorrow, work hours are limited to 8 hours per day (plus one hour for lunch, mandatory) and a total of 44 hours per week. It is recommended ( but not mandatory) that you document these hours, either with a simple spreadsheet or by using a "Livro de Ponto" which can be purchased at any office supply store (including Kalunga). The maid should, in her own handwriting, write down what time she arrived, what time she stopped for lunch, what time she came back from lunch and what time she left work and sign it every day. If you do decide to document these hours, please make sure it is documented to the exact minute. A document showing that an employee began work every single day precisely at 8:00am, had lunch precisely from 12pm to 1pm and left precisely at 5pm will appear to be phony.

It is not clear yet whether the 4 hours on Saturdays can be carried over to the weekdays without union approval - we should have more information soon.

At the end of each month, you will need to check how many hours were worked and overtime must be paid with an additional 50%.

It does not look like FGTS will be a concern just yet. It will officially become a mandatory right tomorrow, but will most likely require an additional law to regulate it. If you do not pay FGTS yet, my recommendation is that you do not begin to do so before it is regulated.

If you feel that the cost of having an empregada may be of concern, there is an online cost calculator (see link below) that you can use to estimate what your monthly cost will be. Please note that it is only an estimate, does not include all of the details outlined in the new law and costs may vary.

WHAT IF I WANT TO FIRE MY MAID:
If you are considering firing your maid, this is the time to do so.

CAN I FIRE MY MAID AND REHIRE HER FOR A LOWER SALARY?
No; to do so is illegal.

CAN I FIRE MY MAID AND CONTINUE TO USE HER AS A FAXINEIRA (DAILY CLEANER):
There is no legal impediment. However, it may leave room for doubt as to whether the employment relationship continued (ie: fraud) so please consider this with care.

SO WHEN IS THE INC WORKSHOP???
We are waiting for the law to be signed tomorrow and for certain rules to be made clear, so that we may provide you with the most accurate information possible. We expect to have the workshop in late April so watch for the weekly emails from INC!

Some other related information:

Does it still count as time and a half if they are sleeping?

   * No; you will only count the time that is being worked.

Can we carry over hours from week to week?

   * In theory yes. However, it is still not clear whether this will require going through a union to do so, as is the case with other employees.

What if she needs time off for sick child or to go to doctor, do we count hours she has not worked?

    * If she brings proof of her consultation or hospital visit, her absence is justified and those hours cannot be deducted.

Do we add up all extra hours and pay at end of month?

    * Yes - and do document this as such.

Do we pay inss and fgts on total salary including overtime or is just for their base monthly salary?

     * It will be owed on the full amount.

Does she contribute any % to fgts?

     * No - that will be yours to pay. It looks like it will be 8% and it looks like this will not take effect immediatly (it requires regulation by another law), though the empregada union argues differently. Will wait to see how that works out.

Does the employer pay fgts starting month of april? I.e should be included in inss tax book and paid by may 15th for april?

    * See question above. However, the FGTS is not added to the INSS. 

It's all about CUPCAKES!

Sophie & Theo's Cupcakes will be hosting a table at the INC Fair tomorrow from 10am - 2pm! Come try our new 'strawberry swirl' cupcakes made with real strawberries and covered in smooth cream cheese frosting. We also have our new easter cupcake designs on display!

There are lots of other stores - obviously the food ones are my favourite including the German bread man and the tortilla lady (who's not really from Mexico but I don't care!)

Time: 10h00 - 16h00 
Date: Wednesday, 7th of March 2012 
Location: Espaço Escandinavo 
Rua Job Lane, 1030 - Alto da Boa Vista, São Paulo, 04639-000, Brazil 
+55 11 5521-3356

A to-do-list for your Empregada in Portuguese

The INC runs a facebook group which is pretty handy when you are looking for something, or need some advice from other expats. Here's a list that was just posted of things for your empregada to do. I'll post a blog on all the paperwork we've done for our baba in the near future as there are lots of rules / laws to make sure you abide by!

Cleaning Checklist – Lista de Limpeza

*** This is list was created by Erica Winter and it is based on a list found on Martha Stewart's website.  It's been adapted for Brazil and translated.  Please feel free to use it. ***

Daily – Diário

□ Make Beds – Fazer as camas

□ Manage Clutter – Guardar objetos, brinquedos e roupa

□ Clean as You Cook – Limpa enquanto cozinha

□ Sweep & Mop Floors – Varrer e passar pano no chão

□ Empty trash bins – Esvaziar latas de lixo

Three Per Week – Tres Vezes por Semana

□ Clean bathrooms – limpar banheiros

□ Vacuum floors – Passar aspirador nos tapetes (muito cuidado com as franjas dos tapetes persas)

□ Dust surfaces, furniture, objects, & light fixtures – Tirar pó de todos os objetos, lustres & usar lustra moveis onde for madeira

Weekly - Semanal

□ Change bath mats, towels, & washcloths – Trocar toalhas & tapetes de chão

□ Empty trash and wipe the insides bins – Lavar latas de lixo

□ Wipe mirrors – limpar espelhos

□ Change sheets – Trocar a roupa de cama

□ Discard foods past prime – Limpar geladeira & tirar comida vencida

□ Wipe surfaces & kitchen cabinets– Limpar a cozinha inclusive dentro dos armários

□ Wipe the inside of the oven & toaster – Limpar forno & torradoreira

□ Dust the tops & spines of books, shelves – Tirar pó de livros e estantes

□ Wipe windows & glass surfaces – limpar vidros

Monthly – Por Mês

□ Wipe baseboards and moldings – limpar rodapés, cantos de parede e teto

□ Wipe insides of medicine cabinets – limpar dentro dos armários de åbanheiro

□ Launder duvet covers & mattress pads – lavar acolchoados, e protetores de colchões 

□ Dust shelves & storage bins – tirar pó dos armários de roupa

□ Discard food in the freezer past its prime – descongelar o freezer e tirar comida vencida 

Sao Paulo Groupies

When we first arrived in Sao Paulo we decided to make a special effort to make Brazilian friends. In all the countries we've lived in, our main group of friends have always been expats! We have made some fabulous Brazilian friends but 6 months down the line I really wanted to find a group where I could meet other mums who had just moved here, and where Sophie could have some playtime with other kids her age. In Sao Paulo it seems that most kids start to go to school 5 days a week from about 18 months.. I don't really want her to start for another year or so.


A friend recommended the International Newcomer's Group and I've been to a few of the playgroups. These are every Thursday morning from 10am-noon and hosted by someone different each time. It's a great way to meet other mummies or daddies, and other children Sophie's age.


Other great groups are the Canadian International Womens' Society (CIWS) which is not just for women! They host lunches, drinks and fundraisers to raise funds for a select number of charities. I helped organise their fundraiser last October and it was a big success, and it was really exciting to see our effort directly impact the lives of others.The Internations group in Sao Paulo is organised by the fabulous Kelly and Mariana. They organise a drinks night once a month at a different venue and the group is a great mix of expats and brazilians - I really like it for this particular reason. They always pick some great bars / venues and everyone is open to meeting new people. The other international group is Gringoes which is mainly a super helpful online forum, and they also organise drinks once or twice a year.




Annette, one of my new fabulous mummy friends, and her gorgeous Cooper, sent us through some advice about where to buy/sell goods and to get some helpful advice on facebook so I thought I would pass these on too.


KidStuff Bazaar
International Newcomer's Club of Sao Paulo
Expats Sao Paulo