The Bill 2987/26 creates the National Policy for Valuing, Qualifying, Formalizing, and Protecting Seamstresses, Seamsters, and Garment Workers. The initiative should consider gender, race, income, age, disability, territory, and migratory status. The proposal prioritizes groups more exposed to informality, low wages, lack of social protection, and job precarization.
The text under analysis in the Chamber of Deputies is authored by Deputy Marcos Tavares (PDT-RJ).
According to data from the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (Abit) cited by the author, the textile and apparel chain generated R$ 203.9 billion in 2023. The sector also created 30.7 thousand jobs between January and October 2024, with 14.2 thousand in the textile industry and 16.5 thousand in apparel.
Marcos Tavares stated that the policy provides means for formalization and income improvement without criminalizing small entrepreneurs or self-employed workers.
"The proposal is not limited to symbolically recognizing the category: it creates concrete guidelines for qualification, formalization, productive credit, public procurement, social traceability, sustainability, and combating precarization," the deputy emphasized in justification.
Credit
Among the measures, the text provides that federal public banks create lines of directed credit for seamstresses, seamsters, individual micro-entrepreneurs, cooperatives, productive associations, family enterprises, and small garment units.
The financing may be used to purchase, replace, or maintain sewing and cutting machines, as well as finishing and protective equipment, ergonomic furniture, raw materials, notions, technology, digitalization, and working capital.
The project also allows prioritizing enterprises led by women, single mothers, black people, people with disabilities, the elderly, migrants, and low-income workers, among other groups.
Public Procurement
In public contracts for school and hospital uniforms, professional clothing, bedding, institutional laundry, textile artifacts, and related products, public agencies may adopt:
- criteria for social, environmental, and economic sustainability compatible with the object of the contract;
- planning that considers local and regional productive capacity;
- division of the contract into items or lots, when technically and economically viable, to increase the participation of individual micro-entrepreneurs, micro-enterprises, small businesses, cooperatives, and productive associations;
- requirements for labor and social security compliance, in addition to prohibiting child labor, forced labor, or analogous to slavery;
- encouragement for subcontracting small local enterprises, provided it is legal and transparent and that the responsibility of the contracted company, the traceability of the chain, and compliance with legislation are maintained; and
- quality control, adequate deadlines, and regular payment, as well as measures to avoid unfeasible prices that may lead to labor precarization.
Combating Precarization
The proposal also creates the following guidelines to prevent and combat crimes in the garment chain:
- prevent and combat child labor and labor analogous to slavery;
- combat abusive labor intermediation and labor fraud;
- prevent excessive working hours and targets incompatible with health;
- combat the retention of workers' documents;
- address coercive or abusive indebtedness;
- combat degrading working conditions;
- protect migrants, immigrants, refugees, and other workers in vulnerable situations;
- guide small businesses on regularization, contracts, health, and safety at work;
- integrate development, guidance, and inspection actions to combat irregularities without hindering regular economic activity.
The text also provides for social traceability mechanisms. These mechanisms may include the identification of suppliers and productive units, proof of labor and social security compliance, reporting channels, audits, and corrective measures. The requirements should take into account the size and economic capacity of small enterprises.
Health and Safety
The policy should consider the risks related to sewing activities, such as ergonomic, postural, visual, respiratory, mechanical, and psychosocial problems.
The text cites, among other factors, long periods of sitting, repetitive movements, inadequate lighting, noise, textile dust, pressure for productivity, and the use of cutting and sewing machines.
Next Steps
The project will be analyzed in a conclusive manner by the committees on Industry, Commerce and Services; Labor; and Constitution, Justice, and Citizenship. To become law, it needs to be approved by the Chamber and the Senate.
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