Labor flexibilization and deregulation for nursing workers in Brazil: the PROFAE case

This study analyzed the flexibilization process of labor relations in the PROFAE Professionalization Project of Nursing Workers (Projeto de Profissionalização dos Trabalhadores da Area de Enfermagem - PROFAE) in Brazil. This qualitative study used dialectical and historical materialism as the theoretical-methodological framework. Data were collected through directed interviews with open-ended questions, and answers were submitted to discourse analysis. The obtained results evidence the flexibilization and deregulation process of labor relations in the health area in Brazil, characterized by the following elements: payment by production; fragmented labor division; criteria for variable wage payment; qualified and versatile professionals; perceived professional freedom; reduced governability and power to make decisions; multiple jobs; activity planning as a substitute for planning models, and the massive systematic operationalization of actions.