Central Única dos Trabalhadores

Central Única dos Trabalhadores (), commonly known by the acronym CUT, is the main national trade union center in Brazil.

History CUT was formed on 28 August 1983 in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, during the First National Congress of the Working Class. Alongside the Workers' Party (PT) and the Landless Workers' Movement (MST), CUT was one of the key organizations to challenge the military rule of 1964–1985 during its final stages, organizing strikes in automobile factories located in the ABC Region.

Nowadays, CUT is the largest and most important trade union federation in Brazil, representing over 7.4 million workers in all productive areas. It is also the largest trade union center in Latin America and the fifth largest in the world. Nevertheless, it continues to face obstacles because of corporatist laws that curb the workers' rights to organize. CUT generally supports a democratic socialist political ideology and is close to PT and its leaders, many of which had been union leaders in the past.

CUT was organized to oppose the so-called "old labour movement", associated with the late President Getúlio Vargas and his Brazilian Labour Party (PTB). The main practice of varguismo and its leaders was to try to integrate trade unions and the Ministry of Labor, once the President had based his policy for the area using the Carta del Lavoro of Fascist Italy as a role model. CUT arose as an alternative to this model, claiming to be part of the "new labour movement", independent from the federal government. However, its close ties with PT made CUT a source of criticism after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, PT's most prominent member, took office as President.

In March 2004, some union leaders unsatisfied with the organization's close ties with the Lula administration split from CUT in order to form the Coordenação Nacional de Lutas (Conlutas, ). Conlutas represents between 30 and 40 percent of the CUT leadership, and it is closer to the United Socialist Workers' Party (PSTU) and the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) – dissidences of PT themselves – than PT.Greenleft.org The following year, leaders tied to PSOL and the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) formed the Instrumento de Luta e Organização da Classe Trabalhadora (Intersindical, )O PCB, a Intersindical e a criação de uma nova central sindical and, in 2007, leaders linked to the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) formed the Central dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras do Brasil (CTB, ).

Affiliates The following federations are affiliated to CUT: Union Abbreviation Confederation of Technical and University Workers CONFETU Confederation of Workers in the Federal Public Service CONDSEF Confederation of Workers in the Municipal Public Service CONFETAM Democratic Brazilian Confederation of Workers in the Food Industry CONTAC National Confederation of Construction Workers' Unions CONTICOM National Confederation of Education Workers CNTE National Confederation of Family Farming Workers CONTRAF BRASIL National Confederation of Financial Workers CONTRAF National Confederation of Metallurgists CNM National Confederation of Social Security Workers CNTSS National Confederation of the Chemical Branch CNQ National Confederation of Transport and Logistics Workers CNTTL National Confederation of Vigilant Workers and Service Providers CNTV-PS National Confederation of Workers in the Apparel Industry CNTRV National Confederation of Workers in Commerce and Services CONTRACS National Federation of Journalists FENAJ National Federation of Retired and Retired Workers FENAPI National Federation of State and Federal District Employees and Public Employees FENASEPE National Federation of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension and Public Sector Workers FASER National Federation of Workers in Data Processing Companies FENADADOS

Leadership Presidents 1983: Jair Meneguelli 1994: Vicente Paulo da Silva 2000: João Felicio 2003: Luiz Marinho 2005: João Felicio 2006: Artur Henrique da Silva Santos 2012: Vagner Freitas 2019: Sérgio Nobre

General Secretaries 1983: Paulo Paim Gilmar Carneiro 1997: João Antonio Felicio 2000: Carlos Alberto Grana 2003: João Antonio Felicio 2005: Artur Henrique da Silva Santos 2006: Quintino Severo 2012: Sérgio Nobre 2019: Carmen Foro

Central Única dos Trabalhadores

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