Slave labor in the sugar cane fields of Mato Grosso state in Brazil and the altrentives for its erradication

by de Sousa, Inês Oliveira

The main objective of this thesis was to analyse the living conditions of workers, temporary workers and employees in the sugar ? cane farms in rural areas of Mato Grosso State. In the last decades it has been verified that the employment of modern machines and advanced technologies are walking side by side with the increase of exploration and worsening of work conditions, characterized by loss of rights in health conditions, housing, food, kind of labor requirements and unfavorable water supply, in order to ensure means of survival to their families, living in other parts of Brazil. It was used the qualitative method named case study, in nine sugar ?cane industries. The results suggests that the workers in sugar-cane plantation are put to the limit of their physical and health capacities, deteriorating their body and bringing serious consequences to their life cycle. This study shows the benefits obtained during the period of 1998-2003, under the supervision and legal demands of the Procuradoria Regional do Trabalho and Delegacia Regional do Trabalho in Mato Grosso State, when they put in practice some legal and social requirements to improve work conditions