A relação de emprego informal: o dilema entre a viabilidade econômica do empregador e a proteção dos direitos fundamentais dos trabalhadores – uma análise em Barroquinha - CE

Abstract

This study analyzes, through a critical and interdisciplinary approach, the informality in employment relationships in the municipality of Barroquinha-CE. It starts from the premise that informality constitutes a structural and recurrent phenomenon in the Brazilian labor market, challenging the effectiveness of fundamental rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution of 1988 and the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT). The research investigates the historical, institutional, and socioeconomic causes that sustain informality as a predominant pattern in peripheral contexts, while simultaneously examining the obstacles faced by small employers in fully complying with legal requirements. The central hypothesis is that, although legally reprehensible, informality often emerges as a reciprocal survival strategy, given the absence of effective public policies and the rigidity of the legal system. The methodology is qualitative, with empirical support, grounded in bibliographic, documentary, and field research, including the application of a questionnaire to 31 workers in Barroquinha-CE. The data were systematized and analyzed in light of Critical Legal Theory and Legal Sociology. The study concludes that overcoming informality requires an articulation between normative reform, territorially-based institutional action, and public policies for productive inclusion, aimed at promoting decent work and realizing the principle of human dignity.