The Brazilian trade union landscape is well developed and has successfully defended workers' rights in the past. However, the abolition of compulsory union dues in 2017 and declining membership numbers are increasingly jeopardising the financial stability of the unions.
The project aims to establish good trade union structures between Germany and the São Paulo region within the supply chain of the three German chemical companies in Brazil, which will offer local employees greater security and improve working conditions.
The focus is on promoting human rights and social dialogue. The Brazilian chemical unions CNQ-CUT and FEQUIMFAR are being trained in issues of due diligence in supply chains and other human rights topics so that they can represent workers' rights effectively and competently.
In addition, a structured dialogue process between works councils and company representatives is to be introduced to identify social grievances at an early stage and remedy them systematically. This includes binding agreements to improve working conditions and preventive mechanisms against human rights violations.
These measures will strengthen the capacity of both trade union federations to systematically enforce improvements in labour law in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry in São Paulo in the future.
The GP is carried out within the framework of Partners in Transformation, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).