March 23, 2026

Labour Relations, Social Inequalities and Trade Unionism

Elísio Estanque

This thesis aims to analyze, conceptually and through statistical data, formal and informal labour relations, their reconfigurations, and labour under the control of digital platforms since the 2010s in Brazil. Initially, formal and informal labour is examined from different theoretical approaches, ranging from perspectives that emphasize the centrality of production to those that prioritize legal dimensions, in addition to other contributions that enrich the understanding of the categories analyzed. Based on the bibliography, a proposal for the conceptualization of formality and informality is made with the aim of contributing to the understanding of these categories considering their recent transformations and reconfigurations.The study deepens the debate on the interconnections between formality and informality, analyzing the permanence or loss of relevance of the concepts historically used. It is proposed that the traditional dichotomy between formal and informal is insufficient to understand the transformations of the labour relations, requiring an approach that contemplates the complexity and interconnection of the categories studied.At the same time, the thesis focuses on the analysis of labour on digital platforms based on the different concepts and categories used in the main studies on the subject. Based on the contributions of the different authors and the direct analysis of the operating model of digital labour platforms, the concept of labour under the control of digital platforms is developed. A proposal for a specific categorization for measuring and evaluating the different types of labour on digital platforms is also presented. To this end, an innovative methodology called Estimation via Digital Traffic (EDT) was developed, based on the bibliography and on the investigation of the mechanisms of operation of digital labour platforms. In addition, data from the IBGE are used, both for comparison with the EDT results and for the analysis of labour on digital platforms based on different variables. Finally, it is worth highlighting that the study adopts an analytical perspective that integrates gender and race, since these are structuring dimensions of social relations and the reproduction of inequalities.

Keywords: Labour; digital platforms; formality; informality; uberization