"Breque dos app” : análise do ciclo de protestos dos trabalhadores de entrega por aplicativo em Belo Horizonte (2020-2022)

Abstract

This research aims to contribute to the understanding of the protest cycle known as "Breque dos App," led by app-based delivery workers in Belo Horizonte during the period from 2020 to 2022. The study draws upon the Social Movement Theories to describe the available resources and repertoires of contention employed by app-based delivery workers. Additionally, it analyzes how agents frame the conflict and mobilize Collective Action Interpretive Frames in this specific case, while determining the relationship between the intrinsic mobility practices of app-based delivery work and the mobilization of these workers. The research adopts a qualitative approach and relies on interviews with Breque leaders in Belo Horizonte, as well as news articles covering the protests from journalistic portals and videos from couriers channels on YouTube. The study identifies the "Breque" as a repertoire of contention characterized by the simultaneous articulation of worker strikes, the blockade of strategic distribution centers and food courts, and street demonstrations. Moreover, it highlights the significant role of contact between worker leaders and app companies' management as a crucial resource for mobilization. Concerning the Collective Action Interpretive Frames, the research concludes that the issue of autonomy represents the main point of contention in the conflict between workers and app companies. Regarding the interplay between mobility and mobilization, this study indicates that concentrated dispersion is the determining characteristic that connects the inherent mobility of app-based delivery work with the social mobilization of these workers. Lastly, the research identifies that breaches in workers' sociability potentiate the formation of solidarity bonds, collective identity, and the potential for social mobilization.