Supermarket Workers: Discovered and Uncovered During Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand how the pandemic crisis of COVID-19 confirms and aggravates precarious living and working conditions of supermarket employees in Brazil. On one hand, the set of studies in different countries and research conducted at Walmart in Brazil highlight the precariousness of the work that accompanied the processes of supermarketization and internationalization of retail. On the other hand, social inequality and Brazilian labour market conditions limit the prospects of these workers for better employment. The paper draws on qualitative research evidence from the field of research at Walmart Brazilian Stores, semi-structured interviews with workers and union leaders, national administrative data and based on secondary data from media material. Despite increased publicity for the importance of these workers and the precarious working conditions to which they are subjected, this article argues that recognition as an essential activity of supermarket workers in the context of the pandemic has been accompanied by further degradation of working conditions and greater exposure to the risks of their lives and their families.KeywordsRetail workWorking conditionsLabour precarit