Brazil's Superior Labor Court penalizes electoral harassment in workplaces

Legal experts and the Superior Labor Court (TST) in Brazil have highlighted the risks of electoral harassment within the workplace. Such conduct involves using economic or hierarchical power to influence employees' political choices.

Prohibited actions include threatening dismissal or promising benefits based on election results, requiring the use of campaign materials, or organizing meetings to discuss specific candidates. Employers and managers can be held responsible not only for direct actions but also for permitting such environments to persist.

The TST recently ruled on cases involving companies in Paraná and Minas Gerais where workers faced political pressure. In one instance involving a timber company in Laranjeiras do Sul, employers allegedly suggested that those who did not support a specific presidential candidate would not remain with the company. The company was ordered to pay R$ 100,000 in collective moral damages after the court determined the psychological pressure constituted electoral harassment.