This article examines the way bank, metal industry and telecommunications labor unions have been negotiating (un)employment, the demand for capacitation and variable wages. We have tabulated 3.569 clauses from de collective agreements and carried out 26 interviews with labor and business leaders in three states (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais). The results point out that organizational changes were incomparably more negotiated in the metal sector in the region known as ABC, in the state of São Paulo. Flexibilization of work hours was exchanged for its reduction without lowering wages in the São Paulo metal sector, what did not happen in Minas Gerais. In the bank sector there were few results in the negotiation over work hours. The negotiations over variable wages linked to business performance happened in the metal sector but not in the service sector. The interviews point out to a labor movement with a more propositional stance going towards a negotiating one, which is not the general businesses’ way. The state, that could use its regulating power to induce businesses to negotiate, has not come up with satisfactory results. We come to the conclusion that there is no business maturity in Brazil to allow the state to withdraw from the work relations arena.
Minas Gerais Labor Movement; jobs; capacitation; variable wages
