CHALLENGES OF UNION ENGAGEMENT

a study of a family farmers' organization in the Northeast of Pará

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the challenges to union engagement in the municipality of Concórdia do Pará, based on a specific case, the Rural Workers Union (Sindicato dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras Rurais – STTR). Union engagement is fundamental to guarantee the legitimacy of these organizations, which face a series of new issues to remain attractive to their target audience. With this in mind, research was based on a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews and bibliographic survey. Research results illustrated that the STTR of Concordia has a significant portion of affiliated farmers who, in their majority, approve of the union's current board of directors; nevertheless, data indicate that not all are current with union dues, due to the withdrawal of government welfare support, pointing to the need for unions to reinvent themselves within this new scenario.