Presidential candidates talk about labor laws

The labor reform, approved in 2016, during the government of Michel Temer (MDB), established changes in several aspects of Brazilian labor laws. An example is the possibility of splitting the 30-day vacation into up to three periods — previously, it was possible to split it into a maximum of two.

While sectors of the Brazilian business community are in favor of the reform, unions believe that the approval of the text violates labor rights and increases the power of employers over their employees.

In this context, part of society has advocated that the amendment approved in 2016 be revoked — in a process similar to what happened in Spain earlier this year. Other sectors defend that the text undergoes a reformulation.

CNN asked pre-candidates for the Presidency of the Republic what they think about Brazilian labor legislation.

Check out the answers below:

Lula (EN):

The former president has insisted on the need for a review of labor legislation and has spoken with Spanish authorities about the review process negotiated between unions and businessmen in that country.

Jair Bolsonaro (PL):

The President has not responded to CNN’s inquiry as of press time. However, on June 9, during the 2nd ABRAS – ESG National Supply Chain Forum, Bolsonaro declared:

“What appeal do I make to you? It’s for our economy, so that we can, as the government continues, show you that we don’t want, for example, to revoke the labor reform, we no longer want our BNDES to be used to lend [dinheiro] for dictatorships all over the world”.

Ciro Gomes (PDT):

The pre-candidate did not respond to CNN’s question at the time of publication. However, on May 1, at an event held at the national headquarters of the Partido Democrático Trabalhista, in Brasília, Ciro declared:

“Workers, who already had part of their rights taken away during the Temer government, are more than ever mistreated, abandoned and humiliated (…) We are talking about the overwhelming majority of Brazil’s workforce, either in open unemployment, or in wildest informality”.

André Janones (Avant):

The pre-candidate has not responded at the time of publication.

Simone Tebet (MDB):

The pre-candidate did not respond at the time of publication.

Felipe d’Avila (New):

Brazilian labor legislation is the enemy of the worker. Today, we have more than 38 million informal workers in the country. Because? Because the CLT makes hiring difficult, creating very large weights and constraints for companies. The only alternative is unemployment or informality. If we want the worker to be formalized and protected by laws, we need them to be better, more dynamic and relevant to today’s world, in which we have so many changes in the world of work, such as intermittent work and remote work.

We have to maintain and expand the 2016 reform, end the CLT’s monopoly on labor relations, and create a legal framework that facilitates hiring and provides legal certainty for workers and companies. Only then will the country generate more job and income opportunities.

Luciano Bivar (Union Brazil):

It is necessary to look at the facts: the labor reform led to the creation of 1.7 million new jobs, according to a study carried out by USP. The TST reports that there has been a significant reduction in the number of lawsuits in labor justice.

So, we can only conclude that the reform was positive. Can legislation improve? Clear. And the debate must be held in the competent forum, which is the National Congress. The government’s role is to adopt measures that boost the economy and stimulate the creation of new jobs.

I believe that in order to achieve this, it is necessary to promote a broad tax simplification, reducing the bureaucracy of the system and reducing the burden of taxes, both in the costs of entrepreneurs and in the pocket of the worker.

Vera Lucia (PSTU):

The Labor reform, approved in the Temer government (MDB), was a brutal attack on labor rights. The only objective was to increase the profits of the bosses, to the detriment of working conditions. Therefore, we advocate the complete repeal of this reform.

Labor laws underwent changes in all previous governments, always in favor of the bosses. We advocate a radical change in current Brazilian labor laws. Faced with growing unemployment, which now affects more than 11 million Brazilians, it is necessary to reduce the working day, without reducing wages, in order to generate new vacancies.

Guarantee the rights already won, such as paid vacations, maternity leave and 13th salary. Guarantee rights to informal workers and application workers, who will have work papers signed by companies and the right to organize unions.

Strengthen and expand labor safety laws, in defense of workers’ lives. Increase inspection and punishment of companies that do not comply with the law. We cannot accept the growth in the number of deaths at work. In the last ten years (2012-2021), 22,954 deaths in the formal labor market were recorded in Brazil. In 2021 alone, 571,800 accidents and 2,487 deaths associated with work were reported, an increase of 30% compared to 2020, as shown by data from the Observatory of Safety and Health at Work, developed and maintained by the Public Ministry of Labor ( MPT), in cooperation with the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Pablo Marcal (Pros):

Pnad figures show that Brazil currently has 11.5 million unemployed, although 17.5 million people live with a per capita income of less than 105 reais. The numbers are even more alarming when considering those with a per capita income of less than 246 reais: about 27 million Brazilians try to survive in these conditions. The truth is that unemployment is much higher than the 11 million presented by the government. Those who have income cannot provide a decent life for their families.

I ask if the biggest concern of real Brazilians, those who don’t have food on the table, who submit to degrading conditions and incompatible with human dignity to survive, is labor reform or inflation and the decrease in purchasing power. Brazil needs a strong, thriving, highly productive economy to create jobs and jobs.

I always say that, of the 12 profiles of Brazilians that I identified, no one jumps from quitting or miserable to abundant, overflowing or ruling, which are the highest profiles. It is necessary to go up one step at a time and gradually transform the mentality of our people. Labor laws need changes that favor job creation and salary increases so that we no longer have almost 30 million people, Brazilians like us, trying to live on less than 300 reais a month.

The greatest right of a people is to have a dignified life and we are failing in that. There are forgotten Brazilians, abandoned below the poverty line in the midst of polarization. While the extremes fight for the right to be rivals and to destroy each other, I am rooting for the Brazilian people to, together with Congress, find the balance point that unlocks the nation and puts food on people’s tables, because their lives are what it matters.

Jose Maria Eymael (DC):

The pre-candidate did not respond at the time of publication.

Sofia Manzano (PCB):

Yes, we are in favor of repealing the counter-reforms of labor, social security and the constitutional amendment that established the Spending Ceiling.

In addition, we also defend a progressive reform in the labor legislation that reduces the weekly workload to 30 hours, without salary reduction, which will provide a significant increase in the quality of life of workers, increase the number of jobs in all sectors and that, together with with other measures, it will fight unemployment and virtuously stimulate the development of the economy.

Also part of our program is the fight for the repeal of all legislation that opens the door to the outsourcing of public services and for the emergency resumption of the validity of the constitutional regulation of the social security system dismantled by the DRU.

We defend the creation of a social security system even more advanced than the one consolidated in the constitution in 1988, which needs to be universal and financed exclusively by the state, where health, social assistance and retirement benefits are a guaranteed right for the entire population.

Leonardo Pericles (UP):

This is a very dear issue for us at Popular Unity. We advocate the repeal of the entire Labor Reform. The truth is that the Labor Reform together with the Social Security Reform and the Outsourcing Law, carried out during the Temer and Bolsonaro governments, form a succession of laws that removed the most basic rights of the Brazilian working class.

Today there is enormous insecurity in the work environment. In addition to the destruction of labor justice, these laws are based on a farce, on free negotiation between workers and employers. This is a fight between David and Goliath. Cases of violence by employers against workers are recurrent in our country. An example was the case of Moise, a Haitian murdered in Rio de Janeiro. What was he doing at the kiosk? Get paid for a day’s work that was not paid by your boss. Added to the aggravating factor of racism, the response was clubbing, kicking and punching and his murder as a consequence of a lack of mediation by the state in labor relations. This is not an isolated case. Marcelo Camilo, a worker at a factory in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, was shot by his supervisor while drinking coffee, according to the factory itself, outside of his break time, and ended up dying as well.

These facts expanded after governments tore up the Consolidation of Labor Laws, CLT. Other cases point to a recurrent precariousness in the world of work, such as the decrease in remuneration, the farce of entrepreneurship and intermittent work. We defend the end of this sad reality. In order to change that, we defend the strengthening of union entities and an effective participation of workers in deciding the direction of Brazil.

We do defend the guarantee of rights in the employment relationship. In addition, we need to reduce working hours without reducing wages. Work less for everyone to work. We have one of the longest working hours in the world in Brazil. In addition to improving working conditions, it would increase the number of jobs in the country, fighting unemployment. In addition, we defend the recognition of the employment relationship of workers in applications.

See who the presidential candidates are: