12. Brothers in Arms? Trade Union Politics Under the Workers Party Governments

Waldeli Melleiro and Jochen Steinhilber portray the Brazilian trade unions. Under Lula, former chairman of the federation of trade unions, Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT), the unions have achieved more leeway. The new policy of organized labor (Novo Sindicalismo) is characterized by stronger militancy of the unions within the companies, their nature as a social-movement and their alliance politics with other political forces. In the recent past, the Brazilian labor movements have demonstrated a high level of strategic flexibility and they have re-aligned their strategies in relatively frequent intervals in response to changes in the political and social contexts. Also under Lula, the unions of this novel movement were able to combine power resources in new ways and partially expand them. The structural strength of the labor movement was increased by the dynamic in economic growth, the focus on the internal market as an engine of growth, the favorable employment trends as well as the growing importance of large companies. Nonetheless, the growing differences between parts of the social movements and the government also affected the relationship with the trade unions.