Brazil’s meat unions educate members and monitor implementation of Government safety regulations

After a 15 year fight by meat unions, the Brazilian Government set up a tripartite commission to investigate the appalling lack of health and safety in Brazil’s meat industry. This process resulted in the passing of comprehensive regulations which have the potential to benefit 1 million workers. Brazil’s Government has set a two year timeframe for implementation of Regulatory Standard Number 36 and IUF affiliates have commenced an education campaign for members on these transformational changes to safety standards for the sector. Regular breaks and ergonomic design feature prominently in the regulations which also reference union participation in health and safety, mandatory personal protective equipment, risk management plans, ongoing health checks for workers and rehabilitation after injury.  Education, and monitoring implementation of the regulations, is a massive undertaking for Brazilian IUF affiliates while they must also be vigilant against employer attempts to weaken and undermine the standards.