Auditors denounce attempt to obstruct inspection of slave labor.
Through its regional branch in Goiás, the National Union of Labor Inspectors (Sinait) denounced this week retaliations against Labor Inspection in the auditing of companies that benefit from the use of labor analogous to slavery; according to the union, labor inspections have been suffering interference from the government and the top officials of the Ministry of Labor; the Supreme Federal Court reconsidered the constitutionality of the so-called "dirty list" of employers who benefit from labor analogous to slavery, but the list, submitted in 2015, has never been made public.
Goiás 247 - Through its regional office in Goiás, the National Union of Labor Inspectors (Sinait) denounced this week retaliations against labor inspectors in the investigation of companies that benefit from the use of labor analogous to slavery. According to the union, labor inspections have been suffering interference from the government and the leadership of the Ministry of Labor.
The Brazilian Supreme Court reconsidered the constitutionality of the so-called "dirty list" of business owners who benefit from slave-like labor, but the list, submitted in 2015, has never been made public. "The Labor Inspection Secretariat (SIT) updated the document and, some time ago, sent it for publication, but the Ministry's leadership shelved it. The Public Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit against the Union and recently obtained an injunction ordering immediate publication, which has not yet been complied with," says the public statement released today (January 19).
In the text, the Goiás Union Delegation highlighted the dismissal of Labor Inspectors from strategic positions and repudiated the "appointment of people outside the organization, without the knowledge or communication of the current secretary." The group argues that the sudden replacement could jeopardize the complaints made by the Labor Inspection Secretariat.
Check out the public statement released by the Union Delegation in Goiás:
Retaliation against Labor Inspection attempts to dismantle oversight. Sinait, through its Union Delegation in Goiás, publicly denounces an unprecedented attack on the autonomy of the Labor Inspection Service, through attacks by top authorities at the Ministry of Labor (MTb) against the structure of the Labor Inspection Secretariat (SIT). The dismissal of Labor Inspectors who are part of the SIT team, followed by the appointment of people outside the staff, without the knowledge or communication of the current secretary, has the clear objective of weakening and destabilizing oversight.
The crux of the intentionally fabricated “crisis” is the publication of the Dirty List – a registry of business owners and companies that have been proven to exploit slave-like labor and have been caught by inspectors. Publication was suspended at the end of 2014 by the Supreme Federal Court, a decision overturned in May 2016. Since then, the Labor Public Prosecutor's Office has been demanding that the Ministry of Labor reinstate the publication of the Dirty List. The Labor Inspection Secretariat (SIT) updated the document and submitted it for publication some time ago, but the Ministry's leadership shelved it. The Labor Public Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government and recently obtained an injunction ordering immediate publication, which has not yet been complied with. The attacks against inspection activities don't stop there. There were attempts at direct political interference in inspection actions that resulted in closures at the Brasília and Porto Alegre airports in 2016, when labor inspectors identified situations of serious and imminent risk to workers and terminal users. SIT maintained the bans always based on strictly technical and legal criteria.
The resistance of the secretary and her team to several other attempts at interference motivated the ongoing retaliation. Sinait also denounces the strangeness of the Ministry of Labor maintaining a militant lawyer advising the minister at its top level, and offering among the services provided in his private office "the preparation of defenses and administrative appeals" in the labor area. Furthermore, it lists other services such as "Labor Audit," "Regional Labor Office," and "Union Relations." For Sinait, this constitutes a true scandal condoned by the government. Many other absurd situations are occurring, and Sinait remains vigilant to ensure that Labor Inspection and the protection of Brazilian workers are not, once again, compromised.
Goiânia, January 19, 2017
Carlos Silva, President of the National Union of Labor Inspectors
Odessa Arruda, President of the SINAIT Union Delegation in Goiás