A reforma trabalhista e os impactos na atuação sindical

Abstract

Unions are organizations of great relevance in the context of labor relations as they protect worker rights against employer power. The situation is no different in Brazil, with unions strengthening themselves to the point of being well protected by the national judiciary. In 2017, the law nº 13.467/2017 went into effect and promised to bring with it, according to the legislature and government of the time, the recognition and strengthening of the union system. However, recent research points to a considerable decline in the number of union members and a sharp reduction in union income. The general objective of this study is to analyze whether the Labor Reform was responsible, to any extent, for this impact on labor unions. To achieve this, the principal changes made by law nº 13.467/2017 are analyzed to verify whether these changes affected the ability of unions to execute their functions. Additionally, the extent to which the Labor Reform was responsible for a possible deterioration and weakening of these organizations is analyzed. The relevance of this research resides in rekindling the debate around the importance of labor unions while at the same time aiming to demonstrate the repercussions of the reform to the Collective Labor Law. The methodology is quality and quantitative and utilizes extensive written sources. The study concludes that the legislation did, in fact, interfere with the structure and operation of labor unions, resulting in their internal weakening and affecting their ability to fulfill their functions; consequently, this creates a state of great vulnerability for Brazilian workers.