Invisibilidade social do profissional da limpeza pública “Gari” em São Félix

Abstract

This study discusses the importance of the public cleaning professional “Gari”, and the clashes involving the invisibility of this worker before society. Thus, we seek to problematize how the public cleaning agents of the municipality of São Félix perceive and recognize themselves in the role of Gari. In order to understand how they experience social invisibility in their daily lives, observing the marks of prejudice and the invisibility to which they are exposed. It was made a survey of bibliographic material on the subject to give theoretical basis, and also a qualitative, descriptive research, developed in the city of São Félix, from semi-structured interviews conducted with public cleaning professionals, observing the following aspects; gender, age, working time, working conditions and their perceptions about performing this work. From a survey and conduction of empirical research, the specific objectives were to collect data on the socioeconomic profile of street workers, in order to observe their working conditions; reflect on the representations of what “Ser Gari” is, in order to identify the manifestations of invisibility; discuss about the working conditions of public cleaning professionals, observing the structures in the context of precarious work; to identify the forms of prejudice experienced by workers in the exercise of their duties. Finally, the analysis of the interviews with the public cleaning professionals shows us that given the function performed, they do not perceive themselves as invisible workers, however, they signal the precariousness of the work with the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).