Doce exploração: percepções do trabalhador rural do setor sucroenergético da microrregião nordeste do Espírito Santo sobre dignidade em sua atividade laboral

Abstract

The present study has as its central theme the condition of human dignity in labor relations of the sugarcane industry of the municipality of Conceição da Barra capixaba, which lies in a region historically characterized by the concentration of land ownership and the exploitation of human labor power, characterizing great polo sugarcane production. It begins with the study of the history of labor in rural Brazil and its close relationship with the exploitation of the workforce, with a focus on the production of cane sugar, relying on sociological explanations of José de Souza Martins, and example of the municipality of Conceição da Barra, within the wider context of agrarian history capixaba, providing the general features of social and economic processes. This is on the assumption that social relations played in the history of the region had significant role in the shaping of structures to satisfy the production of wealth by exploiting unworthy of the labor force. In this context, we highlight the regional peculiarities, the historical formation and agrarian oligarchy barrense, showing the importance of the institution of slavery and slavery in the specific area. Population shifts that occurred during the colonial period, at the international level and forced character, with the capture of slave labor in African countries today are manifested in interstate scale, whichever is the principle of overexploitation of seasonal workers from the states of Pernambuco and Alagoas, kept in bed and exposed the dehumanizing condition of coexistence. The methodology covers the literature review of authors who have studied the problem of agrarian formation as well as the Brazilian Northeast region of the Holy Spirit. To analyze the perception of the workers themselves as to the condition of dignity in their labor relations, semi-structured interviews were conducted with script pre-prepared questions. The results show that the sugarcane crop devastated the dignity of many humans who have dedicated their lives to this work, as practiced labor activity in the sector is marked by exploration, overwork, physical and mental wear and very low wages, featuring inhuman and degrading forms of labor exploitation. Such employment practices are covered up by some government regulations that demonstrate respect for the supposed founding principles of the democratic state. However, this is because they are presented with dissonant human essence, and consonant with the rules dictated by capitalism.