Librarians’ unions: history and practice

Abstract

This paper proposes an academic and scientific discussion which seeks to present relevant contributions on the history and evolution of librarians’ unions, with the aim of unveiling the current status of these organs in Brazil. The trade union movement, as a means of defending workers’ rights, has been evolving since the nineteenth century and imposes rules and limitations for both employers and employees. In Brazil, trade unions first emerged in rural areas and became strong during the government of Getúlio Vargas (1930-1945) and with the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT) in May 1943, driving the creation of professional unions. However it was only in the 1980s that the Librarians’ unions emerged in the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Paraná and Rio de Janeiro. The other unions in the states of Maranhão, Santa Catarina, Pará, Amapá and Tocantins were created after 2000. Currently, there are three active librarians’ unions, located in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Paraná and there is one in the state of Santa Catarina on the drawing board. By means of an exploratory search of the literature, we were able to map and analyze the situation and the evolution of librarians’ unions today. Difficulties could be seen with the structuring and maintenance of these organs in the country and the need for active participation of professional librarians within the trade unions to strengthen their own profession in order to guarantee their rights and the recognition of the profession by society.