The labor counter-reform and the precariousness of labor relations in Brazil

Abstract

The theme of labor counter-reform in Brazil, after more than one year of Law 13467/2017, is analyzed in two dimensions: 1) the changes the law promoted in the labor legislation; and 2) how such changes affect employment, labor relations, and workers’ rights. The article exposes the particularities of social relations in capitalism. It aims to demonstrate that the labor counter-reform did not reach the objectives defined, i.e., the reduction of the unemployment rate and the fight against “informal work.” On the contrary, the unemployment number increased, workers in informal labor relations increased, and the counter-reform led to a limitation on access to labor justice. This result, however, does not go against the requirements of the general law of capitalist accumulation; changes in labor legislation have imposed labor relations conformity to the needs of the capital movement in the current period.

Keywords:
Labor counter-reform; Labor relations; Precariousness