Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

This study examines the debate over minority groups and valuing diversity in one specific sector of Brazilian trade unionism, which was formed by faculty associations and trade unions in federal public institutions of higher education. Three key issues are addressed in this paper, including the process in which the debate mentioned above has been incorporated into these associations’ and trade unions’ agendas, the factors that have helped and those that have hindered the advance of that incorporation, and the real status achieved by the debate in the trade union organizations considered. The sources used in the study were interviews of sixteen trade union leaders from different universities,and documents, such as working reports, produced by trade unions and posted on their websites. The debate in question continues, by and large, to occupy a fringe position. However, a growing movement can be seen to be attributing it higher status.