Campaign against employer electoral harassment is not official, says Labor Public Ministry

The PGT (Prosecutor General for Labor) reported this Thursday (6) that the campaign that circulates on social networks and WhatsApp groups about electoral harassment is not official.

The shared material guides workers to report cases of coercion in the work environment by email. However, the electronic address informed in the image is not used by the agency, informed the PGT Social Communication Department in a note.

According to the agency, complaints of attempted coercion of an employee must be made directly on the website of the MPT (Ministry of Labor), which can be done anonymously. It is also possible to formalize complaints through the MPT Ouvidoria application, available on the Play Store, for mobile devices that use the Android operating system.

The unofficial material began to circulate after the confirmation of the second round of the presidential election between President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and the emergence of allegations of attempted vote buying.

This Wednesday (5), the MPE (Public Electoral Ministry) reported that it is investigating a complaint about an attempt to buy votes in São Miguel do Guamá (PA), about 150 kilometers from Belém. The complaint was based on a video in which a businessman offers R$200 to employees if Bolsonaro is reelected.

The MPE said, in a statement, that the case was sent to the Federal Police to open a police procedure to investigate the occurrence. The initial theory is that the entrepreneur would be committing crimes provided for in articles 299 and 301 of the Electoral Code.

In Paraná, the construction company Concrevali issued a statement threatening to fire 30% of its employees if former President Lula emerges victorious in the second round.

The Public Ministry of Labor in Paraná said that it opened a civil inquiry to investigate the case that, next Tuesday (11), a hearing will be held to obtain information from the company.

To the Panel column, from the Sheetthe company stated that it does not intend to intimidate its employees.

On September 26, before the first round, the MPT in Espírito Santo launched a civil inquiry to investigate the practice of electoral harassment at the company Imetame, in Aracruz (ES), a municipality about 85 kilometers from Vitória.

In the video sent to the regional prosecutor’s office, a man tells officials that depending on who they choose in this year’s elections, they could be out of a job.

In August, the PGT issued a recommendation to employers to refrain from making promises, threats or guidance related to the election period. For the prosecutor, the measure took effect.

The MPT also campaigned on social media, warning voters to identify and report cases of coercion and threats.

What can be considered electoral harassment?

According to the MPT, electoral harassment occurs when the employer tries to influence the vote of his subordinates through embarrassment and threats.

This coercion or harassment attempt to influence the vote can be framed in article 301 of the Electoral Code.

The legislation provides for a penalty of up to four years of imprisonment and payment of a fine for anyone who “uses violence or serious threats to coerce someone to vote, or not to vote, for a particular candidate or party.”

COMPLAINTS CAN BE MADE TO MPT AND UNIONS

The MPT ombudsman is currently concentrating the complaints of electoral harassment.

According to the MPT press office, the agency is unable to raise how many complaints have been registered since the beginning of the elections, as the system does not segment what type of harassment the worker is denouncing, it only says whether it is moral or sexual.

WHERE TO REPORT: