Brasília, January 16, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Yesterday (15), the vice-president of the Regional Federal Court (TRF) of the Second Region, Judge Frederico Gueiros, suspended a stop order granted to the Physicians' Syndicate of Rio de Janeiro by Judge Cyntia Leite Marques, of the Third Special Federal Court. According to the stop order, the National Social Security Institute (INSS) should refrain from deducting the value of days missed from the paychecks of medical examiners, who have been on strike since December 3.

As a result of the strike, around 150 thousand medical reviews throughout the country were put off during this period, causing problems for policyholders who claim benefits such as sickness and accident insurance and disability pensions. Moreover, individuals who were receiving the former benefits at the time the strike began and who consider themselves capable of returning to work are unable to do so, for lack of a medical review declaring them cured.

In a national assembly, the medical examiners rejected a government proposal which, admitting the need for the activity to be recognized as a specific career, proposed the creation of a commission to present a Plan of Job Positions and Salaries in 60 days, the holding of a public examination to permit the hiring of new professionals in the second half of the year, and a salary readjustment in accordance with resources available in this year's budget. (DAS)