Commission will assess the efficiency of the system to combat slave labor in RS
Unanimously, the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul approved the creation of an External Representation Commission to “evaluate the operating conditions of the state system to combat slavery and its analogous forms starting from the operation in Serra Gaúcha”. The proposal reached the plenary already with the signature of 21 parliamentarians and did not receive resistance or contrary votes.
The theme became one of the main priorities of the Legislative branch of Rio Grande do Sul after 208 workers were rescued from a situation similar to slavery working in grape harvesting at wineries in Bento Gonçalves and Garibaldi. More recently, on March 11, another 82 workers were rescued in similar situations on two rice farms in the interior of Uruguaiana.
“We are facing an explosion of cases and the commission’s idea is to assess what are the current conditions of the state system for the eradication of slave labor. RS has a plan that was built almost 10 years ago and a good part of the goals were not met We want to understand why”, said Deputy Matheus Gomes (PSOL), proponent of the commission with the Bancada Negra.
The State Plan for the Eradication of Slave Labor in Rio Grande do Sul was launched in January 2014 by the State Commission for the Eradication of Slave Labor in the State (Coetrae/RS), with the support of the State Attorney General’s Office (PGE), Executive portfolio .
“We have to discuss the state’s public budget for this issue. We have a state commission to combat slave labor that, at the moment, has no resources. It works based on the institutions that support it and the efforts of its representatives” , criticized the Parliamentarian.
For Gomes, the timing of the Country and the State is different from when the plan was created. He believes that actions directed at the issue should be reviewed and updated.
“Brazil already had the best legislation for the eradication of slave labor. Unfortunately, this retreated. The explosion of cases is very much related to the changes in the Labor Legislation and in the Outsourcing Law – the Labor Reform. We have a good part of the political segment defending that there is no guarantee of rights for workers and obviously this already has a direct impact on the world of work”, said the deputy.
The commission will last for 30 days after installation. The work plan will involve meetings with government agencies, diligences with the municipalities, as well as gathering information. The committee’s rapporteur will be in charge of Matheus Gomes.
