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| Confederação dos Trabalhadores na Agricultura | |
|---|---|
| Name | Confederação dos Trabalhadores na Agricultura |
| Native name | Confederação dos Trabalhadores na Agricultura |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Headquarters | Brasília, Distrito Federal |
| Key people | João Domingos da Silva; José Maria de Almeida; Maria do Carmo; João Pedro Stedile |
| Members | ~1,200,000 (peak estimate) |
| Affiliation | International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations; CUT; MST |
Confederação dos Trabalhadores na Agricultura is a Brazilian labor confederation representing rural and agricultural workers, formed in the 20th century to coordinate peasant unions, cooperatives, and agrarian movements. It has interacted with major Brazilian institutions such as the Central Única dos Trabalhadores, Ministério do Trabalho, and Tribunal Superior do Trabalho, and with social movements including the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra and Central Brasileira de Solidariedade. The confederation has historically engaged with political parties like the Partido dos Trabalhadores, Partido Comunista do Brasil, and Partido Socialista Brasileiro while participating in international forums including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organização Internacional do Trabalho.
The confederation emerged amid rural mobilization during the era of the Junta Militar de 1964–1985 and the democratic transition associated with the Diretas Já movement, aligning with leaders such as Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Plínio de Arruda Sampaio, and Chico Mendes in campaigns for land reform. Early alliances included peasant unions tied to the Confederação Nacional dos Trabalhadores na Agricultura (CNTTA) precursor structures and figures from the Comissão Pastoral da Terra, the Catholic Church in Brazil, and NGOs like Rede Justiça Criminal. During the 1988 Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988 process, the confederation lobbied alongside the Comissão de Direitos Humanos and deputies from the Assembleia Nacional Constituinte. In the 1990s it confronted neoliberal policies associated with Fernando Henrique Cardoso while engaging with international actors such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. In the 2000s and 2010s it worked with administrations of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff on programs including Bolsa Família and agrarian reform, and opposed measures promoted by Michel Temer and Jair Bolsonaro.
The confederation's governance has featured a national executive board, regional federations in states like São Paulo, Mato Grosso, Bahia, Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul, and local unions in municipalities including Campinas, Cuiabá, Salvador, Curitiba, and Porto Alegre. Its statutes reference institutions such as the Superior Tribunal de Justiça for arbitration and maintain liaison offices in Brasília and in capitals like Goiânia and Belo Horizonte. Key positions historically include president, secretary-general, and treasurer, filled by activists from movements including the Movimento dos Pequenos Agricultores and the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra. The confederation has formal ties with international federations like the International Labour Organization and regional networks such as the Continental Meeting of Trade Unions.
Membership comprises smallholder farmers from regions such as the Sertão, Amazônia, and the Cerrado, seasonal laborers who work in plantations near Fortaleza and Recife, and family farming collectives around Vitória and Florianópolis. It represents quilombola communities recognized by the Fundação Palmares, Indigenous groups represented by the União das Nações Indígenas, and rural cooperatives registered with the Ministério da Agricultura. The confederation negotiates collective agreements with agribusiness firms including conglomerates operating in Soja corridors, and participates in tripartite forums with the Confederação Nacional da Indústria and the Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas.
The confederation has campaigned for land reform laws such as the proposals debated in the Congresso Nacional and for implementation of the Estatuto da Terra. It has supported candidates from Partido dos Trabalhadores and allied with legislators like Antenor Cavalcanti, Vanderlei Luxemburgo (politician), and activists such as Sônia Guajajara on bills concerning rural labor rights. The organization has engaged with policy programs including Programa Nacional de Fortalecimento da Agricultura Familiar and lobbied at ministries including the Ministério do Desenvolvimento Agrário and the Ministério da Cidadania. Internationally it has addressed the United Nations and participated in conferences alongside delegations from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Bolivia.
The confederation organized strikes, land occupations, and demonstrations in coordination with groups like the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, Frente Brasil Popular, and regional federations during key events such as national agrarian strikes and protests in Brasília. Campaigns included calls for protection against agrochemical exposure following cases involving companies like Bayer and Monsanto and health advocacy with unions including the Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de Pernambuco and the Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais do Paraná. It has staged blockades on highways used by transporters linked to exporters operating out of ports in Santos and Itajaí.
The confederation has formal and informal ties to centrales such as the Central Única dos Trabalhadores, Força Sindical, and União Geral dos Trabalhadores, and collaborates with social movements including the Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens, Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Terra, Comissão Pastoral da Terra, and NGOs like Greenpeace and Amnesty International. It has negotiated with agricultural employers represented by the Confederação da Agricultura e Pecuária do Brasil and engaged in dialogues at the Organização Internacional do Trabalho and regional forums such as the Mercado Comum do Sul.
Supporters credit the confederation with advancing land reform, improving labor conditions in regions like Nordeste Brasileiro, and influencing policy under administrations of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Critics from agricultural corporations, legislators in the Câmara dos Deputados, and publications such as Folha de S.Paulo and O Estado de S. Paulo have accused it of politicization, confrontational tactics, and alignment with parties like Partido dos Trabalhadores. Human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch have both praised its advocacy on pesticide exposure and raised concerns about clashes during occupations reported in state courts like the Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo.
Category:Trade unions in Brazil Category:Agricultural organizations