85 years ago, São Januário staged Vargas's labour justice announcement | OneFootball

Vasco da Gama has its history directly linked to landmark moments in the country, and one of the main ones happened 85 years ago. On May 1, 1941, then-president Getúlio Vargas used the podium at São Januário to announce the establishment of the Labor Court system in Brazil, during Labor Day celebrations.

At that time, especially between the 1940s and 1950s, Vasco’s stadium was the main stage for the official celebrations of the date. Vargas frequently used the venue to announce measures related to labor legislation and worker protection.

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Historic speech and labor milestone

During his address at São Januário, Getúlio Vargas highlighted the role of the new institution within the national landscape. In his speech, the president defined the function of the Labor Court system:

The announcement consolidated one of the pillars of Brazil’s labor structure, reinforcing the State’s role in mediating conflicts between employers and workers.

The previous year, in 1940, Colina Histórica itself had already been the stage for another milestone: the creation of the minimum wage, also announced by Vargas during Labor Day celebrations.

Getúlio Vargas at São Januário for the Labor Day ceremony on 05/01/1941 – Photo: Reproduction

Historical clarification about the CLT

Despite the strong link between the stadium and the labor advances of that time, there is a recurring misconception about the enactment of the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT). Contrary to what is often reported, the decree was not signed at São Januário.

On May 1, 1943, Vargas was not at the stadium. The official ceremony took place at Esplanada do Castelo, in downtown Rio de Janeiro, near the Ministry of Labor. Newspaper records from the time, such as Jornal do Brasil, Correio da Manhã and Diário Carioca, do not indicate the president’s presence at Colina on that date.

Part of the confusion is due to a widely circulated video that for years was associated with 1943, but which actually corresponds to a speech given in 1945, also at Vasco’s stadium.

Timeline and relationship with São Januário

Over the years, Getúlio Vargas took part in five May 1 celebrations at São Januário: 1940, 1941, 1945, 1951 and 1952. Even after the inauguration of the Maracanã in 1950, Vasco’s stadium continued to be used as the venue for these ceremonies.

In addition to its sporting aspect, the site became established as a symbolic space for political and social decisions relevant to the country, reinforcing São Januário’s historical importance beyond football.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.