Training promotes good labor practices in coffee farming.

A successful partnership between the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé), the Faemg Senar System, the Coffee Trade Center of the State of Minas Gerais (CCCMG), and the Sustainable Work Program of the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) resulted in the training of approximately 200 multiplier technicians during the “Technical Meeting on Technical and Managerial Assistance (ATeG)”, at the International Coffee Week (SIC), in Belo Horizonte (MG).

The training focused on promoting decent working conditions in coffee farming, aligning with the principles of sustainability and social responsibility.

The training was conducted by the director of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health of the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), Alexandre Furtado Scarpelli, who addressed essential topics for the work of technicians in the field, such as due diligence rules applied to the coffee production chain, legal models for hiring labor, and practical aspects of Regulatory Standard No. 31 (NR-31), which deals with occupational safety and health in rural work.

The MTE's Sustainable Work Program has an informative, preventive, and collaborative approach, which was translated by Scarpelli to technicians from Senar and companies and cooperatives associated with Cecafé and CCCMG, generating practical learning based on the field experience of labor inspection.

“Initiatives like this, coordinated between the production, trade and export sectors, in partnership with the public authorities, are yet another example of the commitment of the Brazilian coffee sector, which remunerates its workers well, to promoting decent working conditions,” comments Silvia Pizzol, Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainability at Cecafé.

The president of CCCMG, Ricardo Schneider, points out that Brazil has a very rigid regulatory framework related to working conditions. “We have comprehensive health and safety standards and human rights protections, with a unique differentiating factor in the world being the transparency with which we handle cases of violations proven by government inspection, which are not representative of the coffee farming sector, currently equivalent to only 0,02% of establishments that produce and market coffee in the country,” he notes.

Despite the low incidence, Brazilian coffee industry organizations are committed to completely eradicating these situations, which are rigorously addressed throughout the product's export chain. "To continuously improve working conditions, it is essential to strengthen the three pillars of education, oversight, and the enhancement of labor legislation, seeking to adapt it to the realities of the field," adds Silvia.

During the ATeG Technical Meeting, there was an opportunity to combine practical knowledge of labor inspection with an educational activity that generates impact in the field, since each technician has the potential to share the knowledge acquired with approximately 30 coffee farming employers.

“The meeting held at SIC highlights the sector's consistent progress in improving labor relations in the field. Production, export, and government worked together to provide technical and applicable content to nearly 200 professionals, who will now take this knowledge directly to producers. The initiative reinforces the commitment to legal security, social responsibility, and compliance with international sustainability and due diligence requirements,” emphasizes Mariana Maia, Legal Manager of the Faemg Senar System.

By investing in capacity building, monitoring, and mitigating social risks, based on official evidence, Brazil remains well-positioned to continue leading the supply of sustainable coffee to the world, especially to markets with rigorous due diligence requirements, such as the European market.