SEASONAL WORKERS IN SERRA GAÚCHA: AN ANALYSIS OF LABOR ISSUES FROM 2023 ONWARDS

Thaís Pauletti Fitarelli; Alexandre da Silva; Paulo Roberto Wünsch

Todos os Trabalhos

Trabalho

DOI

10.29327/9786527226680.1443499

Título do Trabalho

SEASONAL WORKERS IN SERRA GAÚCHA: AN ANALYSIS OF LABOR ISSUES FROM 2023 ONWARDS

Autores

Thaís Pauletti Fitarelli
Alexandre da Silva
Paulo Roberto Wünsch

Modalidade

IRSA - Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (01/10/2025 a 20/01/2026)

Área temática

IRSA 29 - Work, Migration, and Violence in the Contemporary Rural World

Data de Publicação

06/08/2026

País da Publicação

Brasil

Idioma da Publicação

pt-BR

Página do Trabalho

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1443499-seasonal-workers-in-serra-gaucha--an-analysis-of-labor-issues-from-2023-onwards

ISBN

978-65-272-2668-0

Palavras-Chave

workforce, seasonal workers, work analogous to slavery

Resumo

This study aims to highlight the scenario of possible changes regarding the hiring of seasonal workers, especially during the grape harvest period, in the Serra Gaúcha region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, starting in 2023. The analysis period is justified by the fact that, in the year and region, labor inspectors from the Public Prosecutor's Office found outsourced workers in conditions analogous to slavery in viticultural activities. The formalization, or lack thereof, of the hiring of labor does not characterize the analogy to slavery; however, it is understood as one of its formative elements. Therefore, the study was structured using a methodological combination of bibliographic research and multiple case studies. The bibliographic research defined the concept of seasonal work and its legal specificities, while the case studies involved farming families who hire this labor during the grape harvest, as well as a specialist on the subject. The research included 16 participating families selected based on ease of access and availability to answer a completely anonymous online questionnaire. This format was adopted precisely to guarantee the protection of the participants' identity as an ethical principle, as well as to facilitate participation according to their availability. The research found that, in four municipalities of the region, before 2023, 81% of producers hired seasonal labor without formal employment contracts. However, following the repercussions of the situation of workers in conditions analogous to slavery, this reality has been changing, given that currently only 6% still maintain informal labor. The research also detected the importance of the State's presence in inspection actions to effectively reduce labor analogous to slavery and formalize labor relations with seasonal workers.

Título do Evento: 16th World Congress of Rural Sociology and 64th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Rural Economics, Management and Sociology
Cidade do Evento: Porto Alegre
Título dos Anais do Evento: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA)
Nome da Editora: Even3
Meio de Divulgação: Meio Digital
DOI

Como citar

FITARELLI, Thaís Pauletti; SILVA, Alexandre da; WÜNSCH, Paulo Roberto. SEASONAL WORKERS IN SERRA GAÚCHA: AN ANALYSIS OF LABOR ISSUES FROM 2023 ONWARDS.. In: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA). Anais...Porto Alegre(RS) UFRGS, 2026. Disponível em: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1443499-SEASONAL-WORKERS-IN-SERRA-GAUCHA--AN-ANALYSIS-OF-LABOR-ISSUES-FROM-2023-ONWARDS. Acesso em: 24/09/2026