Question

Compare labor laws and relations around the world. Compare Brazil to labor laws and relations in the United States.

Answer 1

Labour law mediates the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, employer and union.

In the United Kingdom, for instance, the tradition has been to allow a maximum of initiative and freedom to employers’ and workers’ organizations in the regulation of their mutual relations and the determination of conditions of work. Most countries on the Continent, by contrast, have detailed legislative provisions on these matters.

In Australia and New Zealand conciliation and arbitration tribunals determine matters normally dealt with in other countries by legislation or collective agreement, such as wages, hours, and conditions of work.

In the United States and in Japan the unit of negotiation is generally the company or plant.

Comparison between Brazil and United state

Brazil and the United States have complex employment laws.It might be really difficult to find similarities in the employment conditions of Brazil and the U.S., but both countries have laws that somehow protect workers: In Brazil almost everything is regulated by national legislation, while in the U.S. most contracts between employers and employees are “at will” contracts.

Nowadays, even the percentage of people employed in each country is considerably different. While the U.S. is recovering from the past crisis and finished the 2013 year with a 6.7% unemployment rate, Brazil finished 2013 with the best unemployment rate since 2002: 4.3%.

Unless strictly exempted, employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act receive overtime pay if they work for more than 40 hours in a week. Workdays in Brazil cannot exceed 8 hours per day or 44 hours per week. Beyond these limits, employees have the right to receive overtime payment.

The federal law known as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) basically covers two types of plans. The retirement pension is granted in Brazil by the Ministry of Social Security. There are basically four types of retirements in Brazil