There are a couple of things that you don’t do in Brazil – you don’t teach the Brazilians how to play football … you don’t teach them how to do the samba and you don’t go around questioning, like Cosatu, whether their social movements have a “track record of disciplined organisational practice”.
And perhaps it is this melting pot of sport, dance and social movements combined with the methodology of Paulo Freire (the famous Brazilian educator who popularised the concept of people’s education around people’s life experiences, struggle, freedom and participation) that has helped the country’s metalworkers’ union, CNM-CUT, to come up with a distinctive education model – Programa Integrar.
Programa IntegrarFernando Lopes now general secretary of CNM-CUT, describes “Programa Integrar” (the Brazilian model for trade union education) “as a political action integrally related to the metalworkers’ resistance strategy” to globalisation, neo-liberalism and the impact on the workforce and communities.
Emerging in the ’90s, it attempted to link education and training within the broader scope of trade union work. While skills training had previously been a ‘bosses’ only’ prerogative, the programme brought skills training into the political arena of trade union work.
The programme does not substitute for formal education but seeks to bridge the gap between elementary and secondary levels of schooling for youth and adults. It also creates linkages between the employed and unemployed by initiating workshops and seminars on a broad range of political, economic, social and cultural issues and includes a “Laboratory for Sustainable Development and a Social Economy”.
Education for the unemployed has a strong focus on the complex nature of social relations and encourages debate on citizenship: knowledge of public institutions and how these interact with people; intervention on matters of policy making; debating alternative forms of job creation and income generation; and encourages participation in cultural events – like music, dance, theatre, cinema, art, etc. There is a strong element of critical thinking that runs throughout the programme. This makes the learning process open and vibrant to new ideas and methods. Apart from dealing with aspects of social exclusion, the programme seeks to “assist the unemployed to develop and participate in projects that generate work, jobs and income”.
What is Programa Integrar?It is:- participatory and democratic
controlled by workers and their trade unions
creates linkages: brings people together and builds solidarity
has a sound infrastructure to facilitate coordination and organisational efficiency
has successfully set up cooperatives, works together with social movements
encourages diversity
promotes critical political action
Overall the Brazilian model has the potential to create an environment for critical discourse and debate on a broad range of disciplines. It links mathematics, science and technology with politics, the economy, the arts, sports, culture and human development.
Its focus on humanity resonates throughout the programme. Its success lies in its ability to harness civil society and engage with social movements, political parties, NGOs, and other civil institutions like the state, municipalities, etc. This ability to maintain a critical focus combined with political action offers in their view the best possible way of building a new society based on egalitarian principles.
Activities of Programa Integrar:CooperativesThe establishment of worker controlled cooperatives under the banner of “sustainable development” is closely linked to the programme for the unemployed. While cooperatives compete in the open market, they form part of the experiment for an alternate social economy. Aware of their limitations and contradictions within the free market system, cooperatives under CUT have a strong political identity, building worker unity and harnessing the collective effort of its members to resist the onslaught of global capital. Visits to several cooperatives confirmed that workers have had to make enormous sacrifices so that the cooperatives could survive and grow under hostile market conditions.
A cooperative storyAt a motor component factory (manufacturing radiators), workers proudly told their story: The company was under liquidation and workers dismissed. Apart from the overalls on their backs, the workers had nothing. The owner tried to sell off the machinery, but the workers set up a tent outside the factory premises for three months and prevented the owner from removing the machines.
While the union battled it out in court, the workers eventually took control over the machines. With the assistance of CNM-CUT, the workers set up their cooperative, and put the factory firmly back on its head – they meet regularly as a collective and there is no boss-like figure to supervise their work. Instead they have appointed coordinators to oversee the work, market products and promote organisational and administrative efficiency.
Labour centre cooperativeA labour centre cooperative in Sao Paulo, offers assistance to unemployed workers. It registers them on a data base, profiles their skills and where possible, reintegrates them into the economy by placing them in jobs. But the labour centre has other functions apart from finding work for the unemployed – workers participate in regular seminars on economics and matters of political and public interest and interact with other unemployed workers and the trade unions. In Porto Alegre, headquarters of the World Social Forum (WSF), a cooperative, run and controlled by women, uses recycled materials to manufacture a variety of T-shirts, bags, banners, etc. for trade unions, social movements, etc. The cooperative also sources work from the private sector, penetrating every possible niche to create stable employment and enhance the skills of its workers.
Building shop stewards’ capacityProgram Integrar also coordinates a project for employed workers, providing courses to build the capacity of its shop stewards so that they are in a position to negotiate with employers on an equitable level. Resources are made available and research undertaken so that the shop stewards have the necessary skills to negotiate better working and social conditions – also the need to engage the state and municipalities in negotiations on matters of mutual interest. A leadership programme for union leaders covers a broad range of social and technical disciplines, enabling potential candidates to pursue academic studies at universities and higher institutions of learning. Leaders are expected to plough back their knowledge and contribute to the social well-being and development of workers in society.
AccreditationIn the process of developing Program Integrar, CNM-CUT tackled the question of accreditation for elementary levels of education, as well as secondary levels. In both cases learners obtain a Certificate recognised by the Ministry of Education.
Training schoolsTraining schools have become a hive of activity. It is not uncommon to find volunteer trade union educators conducting evening classes for adult learners, while computer classes for the youth are highly popular.
In my opinion
What can we learn from the Brazilians?
It is important to take note of some similarities and differences, as these will impact on the way we do things in our own union. Over the years Numsa has provided resources for trade union education based on a national programme that recognises the needs of its members, shopstewards and various other levels of leadership within the union. Within the education department task teams of educators have produced in consultation with other stakeholders, trade union education materials for shopstewards. In addition the regular appearance of Numsa News and Numsa Bulletin served not only to bridge the gap between the broad membership and the union, but created a space for discussion and input from union members.
Through policy workshops and networking with a range of labour service centres, the union has managed to sustain its education programme. However, attempts to sustain regular political discussion forums have met with little success, despite attempts to encourage these at a local and regional level. Similarities in the use of methodology – the example of the teachings of Paulo Freire – has to some extent influenced the methodology of our own educators, albeit limitations of a political and bureaucratic nature.
We need a clear political will and focus – embracing diversity and critical political action. We need a programme that brings the unemployed and employed together, under one roof. This does not necessarily mean finding jobs for the unemployed, but providing unemployed metalworkers with a political space in the union and where possible assist them with the establishment of cooperatives.
We need to look at the question of accreditation of trade union education – this issue has never been resolved at our previous congresses. More participation from women and youth in union structures. Establishing our own training schools, facilities for political education, etc.
There is tremendous scope for Numsa to incorporate some of the elements of the Brazilian trade union model for education and training. What we require is the political will and the ability to work with civil society on a scale that goes beyond narrow trade union politics. The call for critical political action with linkages across society serves not only to build resistance to neo-liberalism, but provides a platform that will enrich the intellectual process as workers take up the struggle against global capitalism.
As for Brazilian football, samba and social movements – they embody the people of Brazil, alive with rhythm and pulsating energy. If they work so well in Brazil, then surely there must be something that we can learn from them: let us find inspiration in the words of Jacqueline, an activist from the Movement for Landless People:
“I could have taken up a scholarship making it possible for me to go to university, but this would serve my individual interest … for now the collective struggle of my people comes first – we need the land – we want our land – so that we may raise our families with pride and dignity.”