The 2017 reform of Brazil’s labor law is part of a broader movement that arose over the first two decades of the twenty-first century, especially after the 2008 financial crisis, with the purpose of eroding labor rights on an international scale. This trend represented a return to the structural reforms of the 1990s, when rising neoliberal governments crafted their agendas from policies of flexibilization and the deregulation of labor relations, under the pretext that the problems of unemployment and informality were insurmountable without them. Despite their inefficacy, policy changes empowering employers in determining wages and working conditions have been repeatedly prescribed over the past four decades as a way of stimulating economic growth and solving labor market problems in different countries.
By now, a number of studies indicate the negative impacts of policies that reduce the role of labor unions and public regulation in labor markets. The reforms have deepened social inequalities and created job precariousness by legalizing contracts that guarantee fewer employer obligations. The proliferation of these contracts has consequently affected union organization and representation in ways profoundly challenging to workers’ collective action.
The Brazilian scenario is no exception.1 Five years after the implementation of the reform, unionization rates in the country have fallen to 8.4 percent, which is equivalent to 8.4 million...
This article is part of The Poynter 50, a series reflecting on 50 moments and people that shaped journalism over the past half-century — and continue to influence its future. As Poynter celebrates...