Brazil Forms Strategic Partnership with US on Gig Workers’ Rights

In an attempt to address some of the issues that have arisen with the increase in gig work and work through digital platforms, the governments of the U.S. and Brazil have formed a strategic partnership called the Partnership for Workers’ Rights.

The initiative promises to “champion an agenda for fairness and sustainability in the global economy, and ensure that economic growth leaves no one behind,” as well as focus on increasing workers’ awareness of their rights, ensuring a clean energy transition that provides good jobs and protecting labor rights in the gig economy. Brazil and the U.S. agreed to work collaboratively with other governments, the International Labor Organization, and union and employer partners to advance these goals around the world.

A key priority for Brazil is determining how to create minimum standards and provide basic rights for workers in the digital economy, said Diego Bonomo, senior advisor at Covington in London.

How Will It Work?

There are two potential ways to turn the initiative into concrete action. The first would be to negotiate international agreements to make the goals of the initiative binding. However, this way is more challenging, because it would involve a lengthy multilateral negotiation process and likely go through the International Labor Organization.

The second, and more feasible, way is to pass domestic legislation in the U.S. and Brazil that addresses the goals of the partnership. This process has already started in Brazil. Since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in the beginning of 2023, he has created three working groups within the administration to address three different issues. 

“One working group is to propose new legislation on labor relations and collective bargaining. The second working group is specifically to propose new legislation to increase workers’ rights for this category of workers that are employed by the digital platforms, and the third one is to improve labor relations for people that work for the government in Brazil. So, in all three cases, at least in the Brazilian system, you need to change federal legislation,” Bonomo said.

That has not yet happened.

What Might the Impact Be?

If Brazil’s Congress passes laws that are in keeping with the goals of the partnership, workers arguably could benefit.

“For workers, the key goal of the initiative is to increase their rights, to bring all these workers in the digital economy to the same level of rights that other workers have,” Bonomo said. “Level the playing field on the worker side, and then eventually, increase the overall level of rights for all workers.” 

Ultimately, the results of the three working groups appointed by the president will be the first fruits of this initiative, most likely. It might take a while to make a real-world impact, but HR professionals should pay attention to the groups’ findings.

The Partnership for Workers’ Rights is just a first step toward a broader international coalition and a starting point for increasing the rights of workers. 

“It's a signal that it’s important for both administrations, and also a signal for other countries. It’s a way to find other potential partners, other countries that could join the initiative, and push in the same direction,” Bonomo said. This year, “we'll probably see a more heated debate.”

Katie Nadworny is a freelance writer in Istanbul.