The 2017 Labor Reform and its repercussions on union organization

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the impacts of the 2017 Labor Reform on trade union organization. To this end, the teachers’ union representing private-sector edu- cation professionals in the state of Minas Gerais (Sinpro Minas) was selected as the object of analysis in order to examine union leaders’ perceptions of the reform and its repercussions, as well as its effects on the union’s organizational structure. The study adopts a qualitative approach based on primary data col- lected through semi-structured interviews with Sinpro Minas union leaders. The data were analyzed using content analysis techniques, taking into accou- nt the legislative changes introduced by the reform and their implications for the union’s organizational dynamics. The interviews indicate that union lea- ders perceive the Labor Reform as a mechanism that weakens and undermi- nes both the labor rights of teachers represented by Sinpro Minas and trade union organization itself, particularly through the expansion of outsourcing and the fragmentation of workers’ collective ties. Nevertheless, the experience of Sinpro Minas demonstrates that, despite these constraints, it is still possible to develop viable strategies of union resistance.