This paper discusses the implementation in eight municipalities in Sao Paulo state of the commitments concerning the management of work composing the Management Pact, signed in 2006 by the three levels of the Unified Health System (SUS). Among the municipalities studied, three are centers of metropolitan areas and five had in 2008 population over 500,000 inhabitants. Data were collected, particularly concerning the Career, Positions and Wages Plan (PCCS) and interviews were accomplished with managers and representatives of workers and users in Municipal Health Councils. The categories analyzed were derived from the Management Pact: democratization of labor relations, social rights and social security, juridical regime and working arrangements, career progression and permanent training. The results showed irrelevant repercussion of the collective-bargaining mechanisms' decisions on personnel policy; partial incorporation of the guidelines of PCCS-SUS in only three municipalities, staff training policy characterized by specific initiatives decoupled from career progression. It was also possible to identify a restricted view by the counselors interviewed about their participation in the work management discussion; Municipal Health Councils' peripheral approach of the issues related to the management of the workforce; deficiencies in the decentralization of management positions for municipal SUS; tendency for private treatment by managers of the data concerning staff. In spite of the incipient implementation of the commitments stated in the Management Pact, we highlight the innovative inclusion of the work management on the Public Health System managers' agenda as a definite policy.
management; workforce; Pact
