Dados é uma das principais e mais longevas publicações nas ciências sociais no Brasil. Criada em 1966, divulga trabalhos inéditos e inovadores, oriundos de pesquisa acadêmica, de autores brasileiros e estrangeiros. Editada pelo IESP-UERJ, é seu objetivo conciliar o rigor científico e a excelência acadêmica com ênfase no debate público a partir da análise de questões substantivas da sociedade e da política.
Dados vol. 24 n. 2 Rio de Janeiro 1981
Resumo
This paper deals with the resurgence of organized labor in the process of political liberalization of Brazil from 1974 onwards. The process of liberalization is seen as an attempt of military and political elites to stop the erosion of their legitimacy and hence to prevent a state of decisional paralysis at the level of government. The creation of a stable network of valid interlocutors, capable of speaking in the name of their constituents and of making decisions that are binding on them, is an essencial part of such process. Traditionally, government has kept organized labor under control through a combination of coercion and patronage made possible by the corporatist structure created in 1943. However, the repressive actions of the military governments, the imposition of a highly unfavorable wage policy, and the virtual exclusion of labor from access to government authorities greatly reduced the_ representativeness of labor unions, making them into little more than social welfare agencies. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that organized labor's reaction, under the leadership of the "new unionism" of the metalworkers' unions, centered around the demand of union autonomy and democracy, the right to strike, and the right-to bargain directly with the employers, without the intermediary of the government. It is argued here that there exists an area of negotiation between organized labor and the government for the creation of a stronger and more representative union movement. The harsh repression which met the metalworkers' strike of 1980 does not seem to have changed this disposition .. The government 's initiative is visible on two fronts. First, is has allowed labor unions to experiment with collective bargaining and is sponsoring a deep revision of labor laws to increase union autonomy and representativeness. Second, the government is trying to broaden the corporatist pact to include the great majority of low income, ununionized workers, whose support is being sought through social welfare and wage policies that grant relatively larger benefits to the poorest.
Governo e Sindicatos no Brasil: A Perspectiva dos Anos 80
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