A teacher was fired this week from Colégio Unificado, in the city of Itajaí (SC), after posting a photo in which she and other employees made the "L" gesture with their hands in support of reelected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The Blumenau and Region Teachers' Union (Sinpabre) expressed repudiation of the private school's decision, both regarding the dismissal and accusations of political persecution against other teachers who received disciplinary warnings for expressing political preferences during a staff gathering.
"The photograph was later published on a personal social media account, without any visual identification of the school," the union argued.
According to the entity, this was not an isolated incident, as "reports are multiplying of workers threatened, coerced, and dismissed because of their political convictions."
"Inadmissible"
For the representatives of the category, it is inadmissible that professionals be punished for this reason.
"Freedom of thought, expression, and political manifestation is a historic achievement of the working class and a fundamental right guaranteed by the Federal Constitution."
The union points out that this freedom cannot be suppressed by internal regulations, pressure from families, or the ideological stance of the owners of educational institutions.
"The school, which should be a space for critical education, plurality, and respect for differences, cannot reproduce authoritarian practices of silencing and intimidation," it highlighted in a statement.
The union considered it serious that these measures were taken because of a photograph taken in a social gathering setting, without harm to pedagogical activities or the use of the classroom to impose partisan positions.
"The dismissal of a teacher immediately after the events also requires rigorous investigation, especially given the possibility that the dismissal was related to her political expression."
"Appropriate measures"
On the other hand, the school's directors, Alexandre Kleis and Castelo Gazzoni, justified the dismissal and punishments in a video posted on social media.
"A small group of employees, at a certain moment, allowed themselves to be photographed in a demonstration of a political nature," said Kleis.
Gazzoni added that the School Regulations contain an article establishing that employees must refrain from expressing partisan political preferences.
"Given that this attitude constituted a violation of the regulations, the appropriate measures were taken."
Reports multiplied
For the union, this is a case of electoral harassment. Reports of this type of violation have multiplied since the result of the second round (October 25). The Labor Public Prosecutor's Office had counted a total of 1,937 cases up to that date. Since then, that number has risen to 5,637 (data as of this Thursday, the 12th), an increase of 3.7 thousand cases.
According to federal government data, as of the 4th of this month, the government had already received more than seven thousand reports of electoral harassment in the workplace.
Labor Minister Luiz Marinho even mentioned, on the 28th, that the government could create a "dirty list" of companies that commit this type of violation, which would be subject to sanctions regarding access to public credit.
The Superior Labor Court (TST) and the Labor Public Prosecutor's Office (MPT) guaranteed that companies that exert pressure or carry out dismissals because of political opinions will be punished "to the full extent of the law."