Trade unions and the dilemmas of the left in power: The case of union-party relations under the Workers’ Party governments in Brazil (2003-2016)

Since the PT’s foundation trade union activism has been at the heart of the party’s strategies and agendas. When the PT’s political and economic agenda came to show signs of moderation in the second half of the 1990s, labour strategies also became defensive in response to neoliberal reforms and the economic and political crisis that workers faced. In the aftermath of Lula’s election to the presidency in 2002, significant sections of the labour movement became integrated in the government, sharing much of the PT’s electoral, political and economic concerns. Meanwhile the literature on recent Brazilian politics has often treated this relationship as symbiotic, based on the view that both types of actors underwent a process of political moderation post-2002. A common explanation is that unions – and other social movements – were reluctant to challenge the PT governments, a strategy seen as potentially jeopardising the progressive project, while unions and social movements also benefited from financial resources and political influence, leading to co-optation. However, a focus on moderation and co-optation has risked obscuring the tensions in PT-trade union relations, thereby downplaying renewed mobilisation and opposition since the late 2000s. This blind spot is particularly apparent when explaining the growing social and political polarisation in Brazil, culminating in the mass demonstrations since 2013 and Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment in 2016. The paper traces episodes of disagreements, opposition and mobilisation since 2003 with a focus on trade union strategies. The paper argues that some of the most significant contested episodes have taken place around the faultlines of Brazil’s development policies, particularly in the construction and the commodity export sectors. While less visible than the post-2013 mass demonstrations, these protests have challenged both the social impact of export-led development and the role of trade unions in Brazil.