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| União Geral dos Trabalhadores | |
|---|---|
| Name | União Geral dos Trabalhadores |
| Native name | UGT |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Location country | Brazil |
| Headquarters | São Paulo |
| Key people | Ricardo Patah |
| Affiliation | International Trade Union Confederation |
| Members | 700000 |
União Geral dos Trabalhadores is a Brazilian trade union federation founded in 2007 that operates across multiple states and sectors, with headquarters in São Paulo. It was established amid realignments involving Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro, Brazilian Social Democracy Party, and other labor organizations and has engaged with industrial, service, and public sector unions such as those representing workers in Vale (company), Petrobras, and Banco do Brasil. UGT has participated in national debates alongside federations like the Central Única dos Trabalhadores and Força Sindical while interacting with political actors including Workers' Party (Brazil), Brazilian Democratic Movement, and Socialism and Liberty Party.
UGT emerged in the mid-2000s from a constellation of unions and regional confederations that sought an alternative to established federations such as Central Única dos Trabalhadores and Força Sindical. Its founding involved leaders with ties to Confederação Nacional dos Trabalhadores na Agricultura, Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos do ABC, and municipal federations in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and Bahia. The federation's trajectory intersected with national policy debates under Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, and it positioned itself during major labor law discussions involving the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT) and pension reforms addressed in the National Congress of Brazil. Throughout its early years UGT negotiated collective agreements with corporations like Braskem, Embraer, and Eletrobras and coordinated regional mobilizations in the São Paulo metropolitan area and Porto Alegre.
UGT's statutory structure includes an executive board, national council, and sectoral secretariats aligned with industries such as metallurgy, health, education, and banking. Its governance mechanisms draw on models used by International Trade Union Confederation affiliates and mirror practices from federations like Confederação Nacional dos Metalúrgicos and União Nacional dos Estudantes. Leadership roles have been held by figures from unions in Santos, Campinas, and Belo Horizonte, and decision-making often involves representatives from state labor departments in Goiás and Pernambuco. UGT maintains regional offices that coordinate bargaining processes with employers including Itaú Unibanco, Bradesco, and Gerdau, while liaising with municipal administrations in cities such as Curitiba and Fortaleza.
UGT's membership base comprises federations and unions from sectors like transportation, telecommunications, and education, with affiliates representing teachers in São Paulo State Department of Education and healthcare workers in municipal hospitals in Recife. Notable affiliated unions have included municipal worker unions in Porto Alegre, metalworkers from the ABC Region, and bank clerks in São Paulo financial district. Membership figures have fluctuated amid competition from Central Única dos Trabalhadores and Força Sindical and due to organizing drives by unions associated with CUT splinter groups and independent federations. UGT affiliates negotiate collective bargaining agreements with employers such as Riachuelo, Magazine Luiza, and Correios.
UGT has articulated positions on social and labor policy, engaging with legislative initiatives in the National Congress of Brazil regarding labor reform, social security, and minimum wage adjustments. It has endorsed proposals debated alongside parties including PSDB (Brazil) and Democrats (Brazil), and has participated in coalitions during municipal and federal elections involving candidates from Workers' Party (Brazil) and Brazilian Social Democracy Party. UGT has issued statements on international issues in forums with representatives from OECD-engaged delegations and has submitted policy recommendations to ministries such as the Ministry of Labor and Employment (Brazil). The federation has also engaged in campaigns with civil society groups like Central dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras do Brasil on workplace safety and wage policy.
UGT has coordinated strikes and campaigns in sectors including banking, transportation, and public services, organizing actions that intersected with nationwide movements alongside Central Única dos Trabalhadores and Força Sindical. Major campaigns have targeted employers such as Petrobras during contract negotiations and sought reforms affecting workers at Vale (company), Eletrobras, and municipal transit authorities in Rio de Janeiro. UGT-affiliated unions have mounted solidarity actions for public sector workers in Brasília and supported nationwide demonstrations in conjunction with federations representing metalworkers from the ABC Region and teachers in Porto Alegre.
UGT maintains affiliations and contacts with international labor organizations including the International Trade Union Confederation and has engaged in exchanges with unions from Argentina, Portugal, and Spain. It has participated in international conferences alongside representatives from European Trade Union Confederation-linked unions and engaged in transnational dialogues concerning multinational employers like Vale (company) and Ecopetrol. The federation has sent delegations to meetings in Geneva and Brussels, collaborating with sectoral counterparts in International Transport Workers' Federation and Education International.
UGT has faced criticism over its political alignments with parties such as Workers' Party (Brazil) and Brazilian Democratic Movement, and some critics from rival federations like Central Única dos Trabalhadores have accused it of cooperative bargaining approaches favoring negotiation over confrontation. Controversies have involved disputes over representation rights in municipal elections in São Paulo and allegations from opposing unions concerning financial transparency and affiliation practices with local federations in Minas Gerais and Bahia. Debates over UGT's role in national strikes have provoked scrutiny by media outlets in Folha de S.Paulo and O Estado de S. Paulo and prompted inquiries in legislative committees of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil).
Category:Trade unions in Brazil