More than half a million workers will start receiving payment from the Employee Solidarity Assistance Fund (FASE) starting today, reported Labor Minister Winston Santos. He explained that at least 36,704 companies requested the Government to include 527,652, but the number of FASE beneficiaries will grow in the coming hours because companies are expected to complete the bank details of the 20% of the missing workers.

He explained that it is 80% of the workers affected by the suspension of contracts registered with the Ministry of Labor by the companies where they work, which amounted to 655,725 people until yesterday morning, according to data offered by the head of the labor office.

He indicated that almost a third of the country’s formal labor population has been affected by the suspension of contracts due to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic.