Sao Paulo’s Metalworker’s Performance: Demands and Political Conservatism

Abstract

The Union of Metalworkers of Sao Paulo, since its origin, has behaved in a peculiar way, which was not fully noticed by some analysts of the Brazilian unionism. From 1951 to 1964 the Union was under the influence of PCB and has worked to improve the fight for wages. However, apart from that 1951-1964 period, since than 1932, the SMSP (Union of Metalworkers of Sao Paulo) has taken a conservative political orientation: it has resisted the advances of the progressive struggles in the populist period; and supported the dictatorial and neoliberal governments. SMSP exists for nearly 70 years, in which most of the time its conservative trend in the political arena became obvious. Whilst in the demands field, SMSP´s actions from 1932 until the military coup of 1964 varied from inexistent to moderate. During the military dictatorship the strike actions were restricted to the opposition to the metallurgical union, focused on the Movement of Opposition to the Metalworkers of Sao Paulo (MOMSP). Since the late 1980s, the SMSP has taken actions supporting the workers´ strikes and demands, while in a political level it represents a major support class for the neoliberal governments in Brazil. The article comprises three sections. The first one is an analysis of the São Paulo Metalworkers’ Trade Union development up to the 1980s with a sub-section which is about the strike movement requests of the pragmatic trade union movement. The second section is a study of this trade union fight for its rights during the 1990s. And finally the conclusion.