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In the Northeast, the fear of losing Bolsa Família has caused workers to reject formal employment contracts, generating an unprecedented labor crisis.
A wave of difficulties is hitting the agricultural sector in the Brazilian Northeast, directly affecting farms and companies that face a growing challenge in hiring workers.
The phenomenon, driven by the fear of many workers of losing the Bolsa Família benefit, put the regional economy on alert, with impacts on harvests and production.
In the Petrolina Fruit Growing Region, in Pernambuco, the lack of formal labor threatens entire harvests, especially grapes.
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I agree with the journalist Egidio Serpa, from Northeast Diarye, the scenario is similar in Ceará, where the shortage of workers has become more pronounced in recent months.
Amid this impasse, the Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of the State of Ceará (Faec) seeks solutions with the government federal to alleviate the worsening crisis.
Bolsa Família and the “dilemma of the formal employment contract”
According to experts in the agricultural sector, many workers refuse formal job offers, worried about losing the monthly benefit of R$600, a significant amount for low-income families.
The dilemma intensifies, since accepting the signed card would imply a formal link that could lead to the suspension of the Bolsa Família benefit.
In Pernambuco, businesspeople from the Fruit Growing Hub report the difficulty of filling vacancies needed for the harvest, a situation that is already having a negative impact on production.
Companies, on the other hand, face a legal dilemma.
Hiring workers informally could result in serious penalties from the Ministry of Labor, which maintains strict oversight of labor practices.
Therefore, without available labor, production risks facing a dangerous slowdown.
Meetings and negotiations with the federal government
As Egídio Serpa explained in his coverage, the situation generated mobilization on the part of the agriculture and livestock federations, who are seeking an agreement to prevent harvests from being lost.
In Ceará, Faec participated in a meeting with the state secretary of Labor, Vladyson Viana, to discuss the impasse and propose alternatives that encourage rural workers to accept formal employment without losing social benefits.
The agricultural sector believes that a temporary change in the Bolsa Família rule could bring relief.
The proposal discussed with the state government suggests that Bolsa Família beneficiaries can work with a signed employment contract during the harvest, without this representing an automatic loss of the benefit.
Impacts on the cashew sector
In Ceará, the situation is especially critical for cashew farming, which has been drastically affected in the last two months.
This sector, which needed at least 20 thousand workers to carry out this year's harvest, he was only able to hire half of that quantity.
According to sources from Faec, this lack of labor is not restricted to a single harvest and represents an ongoing challenge for cashew production, one of the most traditional agricultural activities in the state.
The lack of workers created a real bottleneck for the cashew farming sector, with a direct impact on productivity and the local economy.
According to data from the agricultural sector, many families depend on this seasonal work, but fear that joining formal employment will harm the receipt of financial assistance, which is already a reality in their lives.
The government's silence and the expectation of changes
Currently, the federal government has not yet given a definitive answer on the possibility of a temporary adjustment to the Bolsa Família rules to benefit the agricultural sector.
This expectation has become a point of tension between businesspeople, producers and workers, who are anxiously awaiting a solution that brings stability to everyone involved.
Journalist Egídio Serpa highlighted that government silence has generated frustration.
Without an official response, the situation remains stagnant, and producers continue to face difficulties in filling the vacancies needed to maintain their operations.
Challenges and prospects for the future
While the government's response is yet to arrive, the scenario worries all sectors involved.
According to industry leaders, the labor crisis in the Northeast represents a real risk to agricultural production and the local economy, especially for small farmers who do not have the financial capacity to absorb significant losses in their crops.
The proposals from the agricultural federations include incentives and a seasonal work program that allows workers to formalize their employment for a fixed period without losing the Bolsa Família benefit.
This type of initiative has already been adopted in other regions and is seen as a viable solution to alleviate the crisis.
The question that remains unanswered is: How long will the Northeast face this impasse without concrete action?
Producers are waiting for a government decision that will make formal work viable without compromising workers' benefits.
In a scenario where agricultural production is fundamental to the local economy and the subsistence of thousands of families, an urgent solution is needed.
And you, do you think the government should relax the Bolsa Família rules to support the agricultural sector in the Northeast? Comment below!
Labor shortage
It's not just in the agricultural and livestock sector. Domestic workers no longer want to sign employment contracts for fear of losing their benefits.
Thank God Vitor, I'm not the only one of those. In fact, this Bolsa Família is creating a bunch of people who don't want to do anything anymore.
The federal government made this crazy increase in these values. However, it's simple: hiring is seasonal; the benefit is suspended until the end of the contract. Is it over? The company itself informs the Ministry of Labor and the benefit automatically returns.
The boss doesn't want to pay anyone 2400 and **** to work for 1500 and lose the bf
It's interesting that these temporary workers migrate to the south of Brazil to work in the grape and apple harvests. I think they are exploiting the workers too much there.
Yes, I thought the same thing!
Biased reporting!
What happens is that they want to exploit poverty as much as possible!
They don't want to work in the precarious and inhumane conditions that such sectors offer!
Good afternoon everyone, I'm from Rio de Janeiro, my name is Januzi Soares. These are actually lies that were invented and are very harmful to the country. Our agriculture is becoming more and more mechanized and I doubt that anyone with any conscience would prefer to receive R$600,00 instead of receiving a minimum wage, even a minimum wage. We live in a country that prefers to invent lies and spread them instead of destroying the liars. We have been in a recession for over ten years. Employment in the agricultural sector is only for those who specialize in agricultural machinery. Prosperity and long life for all.
You're wrong, bro, the miserable guy thinks like this: that the government's salary is right. And another thing, when it was 80 reais, they were already talking about not working... with 600... everything is screwed... And another thing, daddy Lules who loves agriculture, knowing about this flight of workers can expect more benefits for his workforce...
You are right, I agree. But unfortunately our opinions regarding this bunch of opportunistic politicians who also receive a family allowance of 42 thousand reais and don't care about Brazil's problems, want more than every 1st of the month to arrive quickly to receive their jackpot.
**** detected!
Hey! Even though you write so badly, you managed to express hate and ignorance! FuLga is enough to crack your brains!
With all due respect, I'm also from Rio, and here our agriculture is very small compared to other states, and then you come and talk about this crap, the reality is that most people who receive the Bolsa Família don't want to work, they prefer to stay cool and receive other benefits from the church and other institutions, just because they receive Bolsa Família.
My dear, I'm from the south of Minas Gerais and this happens here. They prefer to stay without a formal contract and work informally so as not to lose the Nine benefit.
My dear, you don't know the reality in the Northeast:
1. Bosses exploit and humiliate.
2. Workers prefer R$600,00 to working for R$1.400,00.
3. The people from the Northeast who migrate to the South and Southeast are the best. Those who stay here are not as good as those who migrated.
It's true, I earned 1400 to do the work of 3 people and what I got was 5 degenerative lesions in my spine and the INSS did not accept to give me my right to benefits and the company did not give me anything. Today I am sick with a small daughter and I have tried to kill myself 4 times.
Have faith, better days will come.
And you couldn't?
I'm from Espírito Santo, and here they say this, if I already earn 600 without doing anything, why the hell am I going to kill myself all month to earn just 800 more, then I'll work on a daily basis for about 10 days of the month, days that they choose without making any commitments to anyone take more than 1000, then the rest is math.
True, 600 without any effort is good, I worked at Azaléia in Itapetinga to earn 460,00, I paid 200,00 in rent, life was pure misery, I moved to São Paulo, studied, and today I earn reasonably well, I don't think about going back to be angry or hungry!
How can you say that those who migrate are better than those who stay? If I am here in Bahia, earning almost 5 minimum wages, working overtime I earn more than 6 minimum wages. The weak ones are those who do not value themselves, study and become high-level professionals. So they need to migrate to the south.
I live in the city of Petrolina and I can tell you with absolute certainty that what the report said there is completely true.
I am an acerola producer in the Petrolina region. I am paying twenty reais to harvest a twenty-kilo box. Even so, it is very difficult to work.
Oh, you won't either, my friend? Harvesting 20 kg to earn 20 reais per box is not possible. Harvesting acerola is one by one... there will definitely be a lack of labor.
Hey, here in Ouro Branco, MG, there are a lot of people who stay at home and receive benefits, unemployment insurance and do some odd jobs on the side, 2 to 3 days a week, that's all!
You are in a state where agricultural production is not the main means of subsistence for the population, so you have no knowledge of the cause. People's fear is that these farm jobs are temporary, that is, there is fear of what will happen afterwards, which is why many refuse. There is also the issue of labor exploitation, as many go to the south because the amounts paid are higher and the harvests are also higher.
Perfectly, businessmen in the sector should offer better deals if they want labor, workers. They pay little, less than the Bolsa Família, biweekly or monthly leave, a true slavery to the offer of the agricultural sector... the change has to come from the agricultural sector, not from the federal government.
Of both. And the BF went to 600 reais at a time of extreme need, the COVID-19 pandemic and the name was AUXILIO BRASIL, which would be 200 reais, but since it was supposed to minimally meet the needs of those who would not be receiving anything, it went to 600 reais. And really the BF was a basic complementary aid, today with this value it has become a “salary”…. and how can a citizen who receives a certain 600 reais exchange it for a signed work contract that does not give him security of receiving as the BF does. I remember Eduardo Suplicy's program… the Renda Minimumma for all Brazilians. It could be used for everyone who works in seasonal services such as agriculture, construction, etc. It would solve the problem.
If Bolsa Familia were worth anything, I would even agree with sensationalism.
biased
Dude, the honest truth is, I'm from Sergipe, Aracaju, and I used to live in Bahia. It's absurd there. A former coworker saw my signed employment contract from 2011 to 2013, and he was furious. He thought it was absurd. "How could someone lower themselves to earn that!" He said that I've lived in São Paulo for so long. I graduated as an electrical engineer and I'm employed by a company in Rio Grande do Sul. I'm starting to earn a reasonable salary!
TEMPORARY WORK for two months does not put food on the table all year round, no one lives only during the harvest period. That is why temporary work is criticized, people unfortunately eat 365 days a year.
Without thinking, someone comes along and says that the worker wants to be out of work, that the person should take on temporary work for 2 months and spend the other 10 months without receiving income. This is a bad joke.
That's probably it. Here in the Northeast, the lack of respect for workers is immense, they pay a very low daily wage, they don't give benefits and they still think they have the right to complain?
People are getting older and young people are not willing to spend all day under the sun to earn little, or even a miserable salary, to make farmers rich.
Rethink your management methods and who knows, things might change.
I agree
This government is not concerned about that! Keeping the poor submissive is what interests the left and the productive system can go to hell!
What business owners want is cheap labor. Pay them better and workers won't be dependent on government aid.
The government created the Bolsa Preguiça program. People will stop receiving money without working to go to work, a lot.