Reporting labor violations in Brazil: Ministry of Labor or MPT? How to do it

Labor violations can be reported to the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), which carries out inspections through labor inspectors, or to the Public Labor Prosecutor's Office (MPT), which investigates violations affecting collective interests. A report to the MTE is made online through gov.br, free of charge and without a lawyer.

Quick summary

• MTE: inspects companies and can issue violation notices and fines. Reports go through gov.br, with login (the reporter's data is kept confidential).
• MPT: acts on violations that affect groups of workers, such as fraud, collective harassment, slave labor and child labor.
• Work analogous to slavery: anonymous reports through the Ipê System.
• Alô Trabalho hotline: phone 158.
• A report does not replace a labor claim to recover individual amounts.

Difference between the MTE and the MPT

• Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) — What it does: inspections by labor inspectors; issues violation notices and fines · When to go there: FGTS not deposited (FGTS is the Severance Indemnity Fund), no registration, irregular working hours, safety standards · How: gov.br — File a labor complaint
• Public Labor Prosecutor's Office (MPT) — What it does: investigates and brings public civil actions and conduct adjustment agreements (TACs) · When to go there: problems affecting several workers, discrimination, collective harassment · How: the MPT website for your region
• Labor Court — What it does: decides individual and collective claims · When to go there: to recover your rights and compensation · How: labor claim

Step by step: reporting to the Ministry of Labor

1. Go to gov.br › Realizar denúncia trabalhista (File a labor complaint) and log in with your gov.br account.
2. Enter the company's details (name, CNPJ tax ID, address) and the workplace.
3. Describe the violations objectively, with dates and how many workers are affected.
4. Keep the filing number.
5. Follow the report through the same system.

The report is not anonymous at registration, but the reporter's identity is kept confidential during the inspection. For work analogous to slavery, use the Ipê System, which accepts anonymous reports.

What to expect

• Inspections are planned by the MTE and may not be immediate.
• The inspector can issue a violation notice and require the company to regularize (e.g., deposit overdue FGTS).
• The inspection result does not automatically pay amounts to the worker; to receive them, a claim in the Labor Court may be necessary.
• Keep in mind the 2-year deadline after the end of the contract to file a labor claim.

Frequently asked questions

Can I file an anonymous labor complaint?

The general MTE channel requires a gov.br login, but the data is kept confidential. The Ipê System (slave labor) accepts anonymous reports.

Will the company know it was me?

The MTE keeps the reporter's identity confidential.

Does reporting to the Ministry of Labor guarantee I will receive my rights?

Not directly. It can lead to regularization, but individual recovery is done in the Labor Court.

Read more in this series

• FGTS: how to check it, when to withdraw and how the 40% penalty works
• Workplace bullying: what it is, examples and how to prove it
• Work accidents: CAT, leave and workers' rights
• Labor Court: how it works and how to file a claim
• Index: complete guide to labor rights