Following a call by six central union bodies, 500,000 demonstrators gathered on 15 March in twenty-two of Brazil’s major towns and cities to declare their opposition to Michel Temer’s government’s proposed pensions reform. The reforms look to rise the legal retirement age to 65 for men and women as well as including the requirement to have 49 years of contributions in order to qualify for full pension benefits. The minimum number of contribution years may rise from 15 to 25. The project is currently undergoing parliamentary debate and will be put to parliamentary vote in April.
The demonstrators also criticized the draft labor law reforms. The unions are concerned they may bring about even more precarious labor conditions. For them the reforms threaten access to rights such as the 13th month pay and protection from unemployment. In the next few weeks parliament will also be looking at plans to liberalize recourse to sub-contractors. Again, demonstrators criticized this project because they believe that it opens up avenues for employers to opt for precarious manpower c
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