The Consolidation of Brazilian Labor Laws

The CLT was enacted in 1943 subsequent to 13 years of work. It has been the result of the joint effort of government officials and jurists. The primary scope of the legislation is to protect employees and ensure their rights such as:

• Minimum wage
• Leisure time
• Vacation
• Maternity Leave

• Labor Law in Brazil

Historical Perspective

This legislation was compiled during the peak of the Welfare State and in the course of president Getulio Vargas’s dictatorship. He has been a controversial figure in Brazilian politics, regarded by some as the best Brazilian president ever and by other as a boogeyman. His government was characterized by State interventionism ranging from labor regulation to the establishment of public companies.

Criticism

Some entrepreneurs advocate that CLT in Brazil makes more difficult for companies to taken on employees and it diminishes the country’s capacity to compete with other countries with more leniant labor legislation such as India and China. In addition, these guarantees end up affecting negatively low-qualified workers who find difficulty to get a job due to the fact that it tends to be cost-consuming to maintain them as part of one’s staff.

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