Brazil's Superior Labor Court convicts companies for electoral harassment

The Superior Labor Court (TST) has convicted a timber company in Paraná and two meatpacking plants in Minas Gerais for electoral harassment during the 2022 elections. The companies were found to have attempted to coerce employees to vote for former President Jair Bolsonaro.

In the case involving the timber company, the Labor Public Ministry (MPT) investigated reports that employers used the workplace as a political committee. Witnesses testified that management threatened employees, stating that those who did not support the preferred presidential candidate would no longer have jobs at the company. Tactics included distributing campaign materials, placing flyers in time clocks, and promising celebrations if the candidate won.

The court ordered indemnities of R$ 100,000 and R$ 350,000 for the violations. The ruling follows definitions of electoral harassment based on International Labour Organization Convention 190, which includes coercion, intimidation, or humiliation intended to manipulate political expression in the workplace.