Flaviopédia Português
Brazil that Prospers

Workers first, not the union

protecting those who work, not those who live off the union structure

Takes a stand against what it calls the Union Republic and proposes keeping the income opportunities of app-based work, with protection for these workers without union leaders at the head of the process.

In the program: [p. 44, 45] · Translated by Flaviopédia from the official Portuguese text; the Portuguese quote is authoritative. Read the original in Portuguese

What the program says

The country needs to take a stand against the “República Sindical” (“Union Republic”), in which the interests of the organizations’ leaders override the interest of workers. It is public and well known that, after the 2017 labor modernization, these agents mobilized to reverse the losses resulting from the end of the union tax. The principle of the single-union rule (unicidade sindical) guarantees monopolies to these representatives. Because of this, they organize to reproduce their spaces of power, vilifying every proposal that actually puts workers first. [p. 44]

That is what has happened over the last three years in the debate on app-based work. The government sent a proposal that did not advance in Congress, precisely because it put the interest of trade unionists at the head of the process. In the same way, they insist on bills in which public servants’ unions are placed ahead of associations that are more representative, traditional and, often, the only ones existing in the interest of public servants. In these bills, the government has the audacity to propose that trade unionists take part in formulating public policy, even though they were not elected to do so. It is more of the same: legal uncertainty and regression. Situations that recur in the discussion of working hours – where the government wants to ignore the prevalence of the negotiated over the legislated – or in the discussion of matters already settled by the labor reform, approved almost ten years ago. Our project guarantees the continuation of the income and work opportunities brought by app-based work. Nothing can come before the interests of those who work, of users, and of the effective social and social-security protection guaranteed to them. These workers will be protected, without the interests of union leaders at the head of the process. [p. 45]

In plain language

  • The text takes a stand against what it calls the “República Sindical”, a situation in which, according to the text, the interests of union leaders are placed above the interests of workers. It states that the single-union rule guarantees these leaders a monopoly.
  • It states that, after the 2017 labor modernization, these leaders mobilized to reverse the losses from the end of the union tax.
  • It states that the government’s proposal on app-based work did not advance in Congress because it put the interest of trade unionists first. It also criticizes bills that, according to the text, give public servants’ unions preference over public servants’ associations and include trade unionists in formulating public policy.
  • It states that, in the discussion of working hours, the government wants to ignore the prevalence of the negotiated over the legislated.
  • It proposes keeping the income and work opportunities of app-based work. It states that these workers will be protected, with social and social-security protection, without the interests of union leaders driving the process.

What is not in the program

  • It makes no proposal on the single-union rule or the union tax; the passage mentions both only as part of its criticism.
  • It does not detail what social and social-security protection for app-based workers would look like: coverage, contributions and who pays.
  • It does not define who would lead the negotiation of rules for app-based work, if not the unions.
  • It does not name the legal instrument (law, decree or other) nor a timeline for these rules.