Trabalho docente e precarização do professorado da rede pública estadual de ensino no Amazonas (1988-2010)

Abstract

The world of work is characterized by its metamorphic nature. The passage of time implies a wide range of transformations that ultimately interfere with the quality of work of proletarians across the most diverse categories of workers. After the end of the Brazilian civil-military dictatorship in the 1980s, various workers’ movements emerged, seeking to combat the precarization of their labor, whose main feature was the erosion of wages and, consequently, of their standard of living. The neoliberalism established in Brazil from the 1990s onward shaped new workers’ movements, intensifying the multifaceted character of labor precarization. It was no longer only about wages; contracts, working hours, and especially labor rights were also affected. The 1988 Constitution, a symbol of democracy and citizenship, was unable to eradicate these problems from the world of work, although it did achieve significant social and political advances. Even far removed from the industrial stereotype, teachers experienced, in a particular way, the precarization of their work. Through a process of proletarianization, educators began—especially during the major movements of the late 1970s—to adopt the same tools of struggle used by industrial workers: social movements. As teaching became increasingly precarious, educators had to align themselves with rituals of struggle and strikes in response to worsening conditions related to rights, working hours, contracts, and overall working conditions. In this context, the present study seeks to understand how basic education teachers in the state of Amazonas, within the State Department of Education (SEDUC), have witnessed the progressive precarization of their work over the years, particularly under the politicians who governed the state during the period of “Gilbertism.” Part of the analysis involves understanding how these politicians framed their discourse through the lens of education as a political tool. As part of this sense of precarization, we also seek to understand how teachers organized their actions to combat worsening conditions that were already affecting them directly, compelling them to engage in movements, mobilizations, and strikes.