Bolsonaro Says That Slave Labor Rules Need to be “Adjusted”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro suggested yesterday, July 30th, that laws addressing work analogous to slavery and slave labor need to be revised.

According to him, there is a thin dividing line between the two rules, which lead to different interpretations by jurists. “Constitutional Amendment 81 deals with slave labor. I know there will be a distortion of it in the future. Some jurists maintain that work analogous to slavery is also slave labor.”

“Within the ILO (International Labor Organization) there are over 150 articles defining work analogous to slavery,” he said.

According to Bolsonaro, the rules that deal with slave labor “have to be adjusted to reflect evolution.”

He mentioned the thickness of a mattress, the level of a room’s ventilation and an “unwashed drinking glass” to exemplify what may characterize work analogous to slavery.

The president said that the law in force in Brazil provides for the confiscation of land belonging to businesspeople or farmers who have been convicted of slave labor.

According to him, many families in which grandparents, children, and grandchildren work on the same farm may be aggrieved should a labor inspector fine the property owner and find evidence leading to the detection of slave labor.

Bolsonaro’s statements were made at the ceremony that amended occupational health and safety regulations to alleviate the demands made on employers, seeking to boost the country’s competitiveness.

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