Workers’ rights and municipal organising in Brazil

Brazilian Joao Gabriel Guimaraes Buonavita represented the PSI-affiliated SINDSEP-SP union at the UCLG World Summit for Local and Regional Leaders in Rabat, Morocco, 1-4 October 2013.“My participation at this conference was a great opportunity to meet Brazilian mayors and organisations,” he said.

“I have established contact with the organisation of mayors in Brazil, and I have also had a meeting with the vice-mayor of my hometown São Paulo. This is the first time I have met her since her election.”

Even though Brazil has ratified the ILO Convention on the right to collective bargaining, this is still not regulated by law. “This is the greatest challenge for unionists in Brazil at the moment, and it’s difficult fight,” says Buonavita.

But  he is optimistic. “We have a lot of hard work ahead of us. But I think the people we have met and the contacts we have made here will be a start to something that will benefit the workers in the future.”