Last modified: 2017-11-13 by ian macdonald
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Brazilian labor organization from the time of the Vargas dictatorship
(beginning in 1930) until the democratic reforms of the 1980s was dominated
by state-controlled syndicalist confederations on the Italian fascist model,
with a confederation for each segment of labor. With liberalization, the
various confederations headed off in different political direction and
banded into several supra-confederations that are equivalent to national
trade union groupings in other countries. The two biggest of these are the Central Única
dos Trabalhadores (Sole Center for the Workers) and the Confederação
Geral dos Trabalhadores (General Confederation of Workers).
Joseph McMillan, 9 April 2003
image by Joseph McMillan
The CUT is the largest grouping, founded in 1983 as the first nation-wide group to break
with the syndicalist approach. The CUT is socialist in orientation and has
close ties to the Workers Party (PT). The flag is a standard, somewhat
boring left-wing design, red with the party initials in white. The full
name of the party sometimes appears on either the lower edge or along the
fly. It can be seen in photographs on the CUT website.
Joseph McMillan, 9 April 2003
image by Joseph McMillan
The second largest grouping, founded in 1986. The CGT is allied with the
center-left Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (PMDB) and is a
member of various international "free" or "liberal" (i.e., non-socialist)
labor organizations such as the CIDSL and ORIT. Its flag is white with the
party initials emblazoned in red letters across a yellow map of Brazil on a
green globe, with the full name and affiliations of the CGT across the
bottom of the flag in black. Photos can be seen at the
CGT website.
Joseph McMillan, 9 April 2003