Social Security suspends request for information on activities of employees and family members

The Welfare Institute “immediately suspended” a request for information from workers about their family members’ professional activities and leisure time, which was requested under the institute’s new Code of Ethics, the guardianship said Thursday.

An official source at the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Welfare told Lusa that “The Social Welfare Institute has immediately suspended the request for said information and is reviewing the above application.”

The decision came after the Jornal de Negócios reported on Wednesday that more than eight thousand social welfare workers will have to spend this year reporting the professional and leisure activities of spouses, parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren who, in their opinion, opinion may constitute a conflict of interest.

According to the newspaper, the declaration was mandatory, which arose in connection with the revision of the Code of Ethics and Conduct of the Social Security Institute (ISS), which raised doubts among the Union of Public Administration Workers and Public Organizations (Sintap).

The union structure, writes Negosios, “considers the details requested by the Social Security Service as a threat to the privacy of workers” and expresses doubts about compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.

Also, according to an internal message from the SIS to the director of the institute, to which Lusa had access, the leaders are asked to “immediately suspend the process of collecting signatures under the declarations.”

“We are going to revise the declaration and promote an effective communication plan so that everyone is clear and comfortable in the situation,” the message says to the leadership of the institute.

The ISS also points out that “Although the information contained in the declaration field should only be filled out in the event of incompatibility, the reaction of the workers to it indicates that the message was not effective and that the declaration needs to be corrected to make it clear. and there is no doubt about it.”

In this new statement, Negosios said details were requested about potential conflicts arising from financial interests and assets owned by employees, such as shares and real estate, as well as previous professional activities or current outside activities, professional or recreational.

This information must also be completed for spouses, partners and any ancestors, descendants and collateral up to the 2nd degree when the worker identifies “potential conflicts”.

In turn, an official source in the NIS told Lusa that “a declaration of conflict of interest is a risk prevention tool provided for by national and community law, and for this purpose should be implemented in all bodies.”

“Given that the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism should issue a single declaration for all administrative bodies, which has not happened yet, the Institute for Social Security approved the draft of this declaration in 2017, it is currently being finalized, in accordance with the current legislation,” explains the official source of the institute.

According to the same source, in accordance with the law and according to “instructions issued in the context of the management of public funds, all members of the governing bodies, heads and employees of public organizations must sign a declaration of no conflict of interest.”