Union leaders call for the maintenance of exclusivity in the Ports Bill

Bill proposes ending the exclusivity in hiring workers registered with the Órgão Gestor de Mão de Obra (Matheus Tagé/AT Archive)

Union leaders called on the special committee discussing Bill (PL) 733/2025, which revises the port regulatory framework, during a public hearing this Wednesday (22) in Brasília, to maintain the right to exclusivity for casual port workers. The labor issue is the most sensitive aspect of the bill, generating disagreements even among unions and the three federations representing casual workers. The session, titled “Workforce from the Employees’ Perspective,” was marked by protests.

The bill proposes ending the exclusivity in hiring professionals registered with the Órgão Gestor de Mão de Obra (Ogmo). The proposal replaces exclusivity with priority in the recruitment of port workers. It also establishes the creation of service provider companies, allowing for the hiring of personnel not registered with the Ogmo. For the working class, this represents mass unemployment.

The labor issue within the port system remains far from consensus. Some unions also reject the agreement signed in September between the three federations representing casual port workers and the Federação Nacional das Operações Portuárias (Fenop). A substitute version of the labor chapter of Bill 733 was submitted to the committee at that time.

In addition to Fenop, the agreement was signed by the Federação Nacional dos Portuários (FNP), the Federação Nacional dos Estivadores (FNE), and the Federação Nacional dos Conferentes e Consertadores de Carga e Descarga, Vigias Portuários, Trabalhadores de Bloco, Arrumadores e Amarradores de Navios (Fenccovib).

The president of the Sindicato dos Estivadores de Santos, São Vicente, Guarujá e Cubatão (Sindestiva), Bruno Santos, stated during the hearing that the Santos union base and others across Brazil do not accept the end of exclusivity. “A law must be progressive, without taking away the rights of some to favor others. The workers, the public docks, and agribusiness must be heard”, he said.

The president of the Sindicato dos Operários e Trabalhadores Portuários (Sintraport), Claudiomiro Machado, was emphatic: “I am against Bill 733 and do not support what was done in the negotiations by the federations. Anyone who has read the bill knows it is far worse than any agreement that has been made.”

Federations The president of Fenccovib, Mário Teixeira, defended “the maintenance of Law 12.815/2013, with the inclusion of the agreement (signed with Fenop) in Chapter 6, which would reflect what we negotiated and desire. The problem with a new law is the revocation of the current one.”

The president of FNE, José Adilson Pereira, highlighted the rules agreed upon with Fenop, which, according to him, protect the class by expanding recruitment mechanisms, among other provisions such as “the calculation of wages, compensation, and the guarantee of a basic income during the protection transition for workers.”

The president of FNP, Sérgio Giannetto, also defended the agreement. “Assemblies were held in all union bases for its approval.” He asked the unionists who protested in the plenary to respect the agreement.

Lawmakers Federal Deputy Leônidas Cristino (PDT-CE), a member of the committee, emphasized that there can be no agreement without including the workers. “One path forward is not to revoke Law 12.815/2013.”

Federal Deputy Paulo Alexandre Barbosa (PSDB), vice president of the committee, said he respects the negotiation work of the federations with Fenop, “but no one is obliged to include the agreement in the final report (of Bill 733). Nothing has been decided yet.”

Federal Deputy Rosana Valle (PL) also stressed that workers “must have their jobs guaranteed, and senior workers must retain the exclusive right to work.”

Considerations The president of the committee, Federal Deputy Murillo Galdino (Republicanos-PB), said that “the committee’s intention is to approve measures that protect port workers.” The committee’s rapporteur, Federal Deputy Arthur Maia (União-BA), noted that completely rejecting Bill 733/2025 is not the best path, highlighting some positive advancements.

Regarding the labor issue, Maia suggested the possibility “of an agreement among all parties.” Federal Deputy Leônidas Cristino (PDT-CE), a committee member, reiterated that there can be no agreement without the inclusion of workers.

Stevedore ends hunger strike after three days Stevedore Marcelo Artur de Carvalho, 54, from Santos, who had been on a hunger strike for three days in protest against Bill (PL) 733/2025 in front of the Chamber of Deputies in Brasília, has resumed eating. He ended his fast on Wednesday night (22), after receiving assurance that the proposal would not be voted on before the end of this year.

Marcelo Artur resumes eating (Reproduction)

“My protest was against Bill 733, which removes the exclusivity of casual port workers. Today (yesterday), during the special committee’s session, it was confirmed that they won’t vote on it this year”, the worker told A Tribuna tearfully.

“I’m in a hotel room now, after three days sleeping on the floor, and I was finally able to order some soup. Tomorrow morning, I’ll fly back to my family to see my wife and daughters, who are the most important people in my life”, he said, still emotional.

Concerned about the stevedore’s situation, Federal Deputy Glauber Braga (PSOL-RJ) asked the committee president, Murillo Galdino (Republicanos-PB), whether the committee’s work would be concluded this year.

Galdino replied that the last session of the year will be held on December 10, but that there is not enough time to finish the work. “It’s possible that a few more sessions will be called (…) So, it will be carried over to next year”, he assured.