TUAC has published its assessment of Brazil’s bid for OECD accession, highlighting significant concerns about the abuse of labour rights and lack of social dialogue based on a survey of Brazilian trade union representatives.
The report identifies several critical areas requiring urgent attention for Brazil to meet the core principles for OECD accession. The freedom of workers to organise remains compromised, with trade union representatives frequently facing discrimination, career limitations, and even threats to their physical safety.
The situation for trade unionists in Brazil is deeply troubling. When union leaders face assassination threats and workers fear dismissal for exercising their basic rights, we're seeing fundamental ILO standards on freedom of association being undermined.
The assessment points to serious weaknesses in collective bargaining, with many employers refusing to negotiate and instead resorting to the courts to determine employment terms. The 2017 labour reform has exacerbated these issues by pushing more workers into informal employment, undermining the financial sustainability of trade unions, and expanding unrestricted outsourcing practices.
Workplace safety oversight in Brazil is also severely inadequate, with critical shortages of labour inspectors and widespread enforcement failures. The report also notes persistent forced labour in several sectors, while child labour affects over a million children in the country.
TUAC's assessment identifies several labour rights areas that warrant serious attention in Brazil's OECD accession bid. Addressing violence against trade unionists, strengthening labour inspection, and establishing genuine social dialogue mechanisms that respect collective bargaining must be prioritised.
TUAC’s assessment also raises concerns about the functioning of Brazil’s National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, noting that trade unions have limited access to information and the NCP lacks sufficient resources to operate effectively.
The report outlines key demands for Brazil’s accession process, including reforming laws to reduce anti-union discrimination, eliminating forced and child labour, developing policies to formalise work, and implementing effective measures to close gender and racial wage gaps.
Read TUAC’s full assessment here.
Image credit: OECD
