Background on Brazil’s labour movement

… and industrial relations
Industrial relations in Brazil can be described in most areas as ‘lean production without the participation of unions in respect to the internal labour market’ (organisation of work, job descriptions, internal control etc.). Historically, the organisation of work(places) has been under the unique control of management, whereas unions bargained on jobs and salaries and not issues of the internal labour market. In fact till today outside the main industrial centres there is hardly any bargaining on and regulation of working conditions on a factory level with the participation of unions. The law doesn’t provide that unions set up a bargaining and grievance structure at the factory level beside a joint health-and-safety committee (CIPA), which makes that even rights established in labour law are often not respected.

An institutional reflection of this is that according to research in the ‘90s less than 2 percent of the unions in Brazil had a factory or plant commission, bargaining directly on working conditions inside the plants with a decreasing tendency. Most of these commissions were bargained in the early ‘80s and are only situated in the industrial belt around Sao Paulo.

Vida Viva

Education & exchange in Germany

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Who is involved in Vida Viva?

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Vida Viva in Brazil


Background on Brazil’s economy

…and the labour market

Background on stress, work and illness
…and gender
…in Brazil


Background on Brazil’s labour movement
… and industrial relations
… unions and health


Conclusion: unions, work and health

Vida Viva in Mozambique

Vida Viva in Germany

Materials

Slideshow:
Expo - chemical worker


Slideshow:
Choclate factory


Slideshow:
Expo-agro workers

Leaflet December 2006

Leaflet January 2007

Leaflet February 2007

Introduction magazine
of Vida Viva


Brochure on work quality


Health & safety guide

Mapping guide English