Past, present and trends for the future of union struggles in Brazil

Abstract

Unionism in Brazil is determined by the relationship between capital and labor, in which the struggles of the working class have gone through advances and setbacks. Among the advances, it helped in the abolition of the slave regime, conquered a series of labor rights, organized strikes and union institutions. This article seeks, based on the labor value theory and the literature that analyzes unionism, to move from the genesis to the present of wage-earning, marked by the offensive of capital that deepens unemployment and informality. It also identifies trends towards greater precariousness in relations and employment contracts, as well as the reorganization of union struggles. Conclusively, it identifies the centrality of union negotiation on the rate and conditions of exploitation of the labor force, as well as the administration of the industrial reserve army as a capital strategy.

Keywords: Unionism in Brazil; Precariousness of work; Exploitation of the workforce; Industrial reserve army