The Workers’ Party (PT) and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the past Oct. 2 voting day, with 48.43% of the votes, against Jair Bolsonaro, who is seeking to be re-elected and supported by 43.20%.

On its official website, the CUT warned that, after the runoff definition, “denunciation toll increased on employers´ social networks trying to force workers (under duress) to vote for Bolsonaro”.

For such a reason, the CUT, in its pivotal role of providing assistance to workers, made available on its portal (www.cut.org.br) a slot for these demands. Those workers who are afraid of retaliation can make an anonymous complaint.

It explained that this possibility of protecting oneself “allows more cases to come to light and, then, authorities can take legal action”.

The CUT and the other unions will pass the complaint files to the Labor Public Ministry and also take them to the International Labor Organization (ILO), pointing out electoral duress as an anti-union practice.

“All these criminal practices must be eliminated, must be condemned and punished, so that workers´ full freedom to vote, to exercise democracy can be guarantee, electing the candidate according to their principles”, said Roni Barbosa, CUT´s Communication Secretary.

Employers who threaten to fire those who do not vote for a candidate are committing an elective crime, provided for in the 1988 Federal Constitution.

Pll/oda/ocs