Luiz Marinho: “The new union contribution will not be mandatory”

The Minister of Labor and Employment, Luiz Marinhohe said a working group involving trade union centres, representatives of employers’ organizations and the government is preparing a proposal to create a financial contribution for trade union entities.

“A democratic country presupposes representative and strong trade unions. The conditions are necessary for this”the minister said.

The idea is that the contribution is linked to the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and agreements, negotiated between the employers’ and workers’ unions. The provision would concern employers and workers, and would enter into force only if approved in the assemblies of the respective categories.

“Both the employers’ union and the employers’ union can propose, claim with their own category, the approval of a bargaining contribution, due to the provision of services envisaged by the collective agreement. Now, the assemblies could not approve it. Therefore it is not mandatory, it is a process of collective construction and the collective environment is decided collectively and not individually. If the assembly rejects it, nothing is charged”Marino explained.

According to the minister, the proposal under discussion has nothing to do with the old union tax, extinguished by the labor reform approved in 2017, during the government of the former president. Michael Temer. The previous model was in the form of a tax and was levied annually on the basis of a day’s discount for formal contract employees. The structure of the new contribution provides for a maximum ceiling equal to 1% of the worker’s annual income. “This is the ceiling, but the assembly can decide that it is 0.5%, that it is 0.25%, it can decide that it is nothing”He added.

In addition to approving a new negotiating contribution for union entities, the tripartite working group, created by the federal government, will propose transparency rules for union organizations, which should include term limits and liability rules. Minister Luiz Marinho’s expectation is that a proposal will be presented in about 15 days, to be brought to the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

“What the government does is establish a tripartite dialogue, with workers and employers, provoke a debate among them, in particular, which they offer to the government, to be submitted to President Lula for appreciation. And, then, make it available to the Congress Nacional, which always gives the last word on any public policy”he has declared.