Marinho takes office at work and promises permanent appreciation of the minimum wage

The president of the PT in São Paulo, Luiz Marinho, 63, took office this Tuesday (3) at the Ministry of Labor in the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

Marinho, who was president of the ABC Metalworkers’ Union, as well as Lula, said that the portfolio will present to the National Congress a policy of permanent appreciation of the minimum wage, but did not give details.

Marinho also announced that he will regulate the applications “to ensure civilized standards for using these tools”. The minister stated that app workers must have health, safety and social protection.

The new minister defended strong unions with financing capacity. “I want to declare that in a short time, through the tripartite dialogue and the Congress, we will build legislation that modernizes the union system”, he said.

“This will be a ministry committed to valuing social dialogue and collective bargaining,” he added.

He stated that the portfolio will reinforce labor inspections, reinstall councils and promote equal work and pay for men and women and blacks and whites.

In an exception in the inauguration ceremonies of Lula’s ministers, the former Minister of Labor and Social Security of the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government was present to hand over the position to his successor. José Carlos Oliveira sat next to Marinho at the table and spoke.

The former minister, who is a career civil servant at the Social Security, said he was very proud to hand over the position to Marinho, whom he described as a person “very dear to President Lula”. “I’m sure it will do a lot for Brazilian workers”.

“God will enlighten you [Marinho] and give strength to overcome obstacles and deliver to society. And you can count on me.”

Marinho thanked Oliveira for coming. “Unfortunately, not all ministers of the government that ended had the manhood to transmit the position that your excellency had”, he said.

Then, however, at the beginning of his speech, Marinho criticized the Bolsonaro government by mentioning a “framework of dismantling public policies and the Budget in all ministries”.

A number of union representatives were present, including Sergio Nobre, president of CUT; Antônio Neto (PDT), president of CSB; Ricardo Patah, president of UGT; Miguel Torres, president of Força Sindical.

Vice-president Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) and PT president, Gleisi Hoffmann, attended the ceremony, as well as the Minister of Social Security, Carlos Lupi (PDT), BNDES president, Aloizio Mercadante (PT), and the president of Caixa Econômica Federal, Maria Rita Serrano.

Gleisi was applauded when she stated that Marinho will have the “challenge of leading the revision of the labor reform so that we can correct mistakes and modernize the legislation”.

Also present were the justices of the (Superior Labor Court) Lelio Bentes Corrêa and of the STF (Federal Supreme Court) Ricardo Lewandowski.

Marinho has headed the Labor and Social Security portfolios in previous Lula administrations. He was also a federal deputy and mayor of São Bernardo do Campo (SP), birthplace of the PT. In 2018, the petista ran for the Government of São Paulo, but was not elected.