A contrarrevolução neoliberal e as teorias sobre a crise do sindicalismo brasileiro nos anos 1990: uma análise crítica

Abstract

The theme of this dissertation is the union crisis, or we could say union crises (BRIDI, 2006). It focuses on the period of the “neoliberal decade,” 1990 (CARDOSO, 2003), with marketoriented reforms that made the labor market precarious. In this sense, the present work intends to point out our opposition to the theory of the union crisis. Firstly, we refer to the fact that we still live in a capitalist society and unions were born with it to defend workers from the power of employers. Second, we have a theoretical understanding of the role of unions in a capitalist society: unions are not a political party and, therefore, are not solely responsible for making social transformations. They are part of that process. It is a study that is based on history, on the actions of the ruling classes against workers. The method adopted is the bibliographic analysis that seeks to identify the main arguments of the crisis of Brazilian unionism in the 1990s in order to verify if we can talk about a crisis or a change of strategies or repertoires in the analyzed period. The theoretical basis is the Theory of Political Confrontation, which deals with the cycles of protests and opportunities for political action. Examines the relationship between unionism and democracy to identify opportunities for union action. We trace a history of the constitution of the working class in Brazil and how the trade union movement was built, as well as the actions of the ruling classes to control, through the State, social struggles and prevent the subaltern classes from organizing themselves autonomously. We approach the period of the civil-military coup that interrupted the union ascension in the 1960s and we enter, in conclusion, a brief analysis of the 2000s with the democratic and conquest period of 2003- 2016 and the setback after the legal-parliamentary coup of 2016.