Labor reforms to spur jobs, says Brazil's president

Brazil's President Michel Temer tried to reassure workers on the International Workers' Day that proposed labor reforms will spur jobs.

In a video posted on social networks, Temer spoke of the "numerous advantages" of his government's reform package, which is making its way through congress, including generating employment opportunities "much more quickly."

The unpopular reforms include instating a minimum retirement age, that effectively forces workers to work and contribute longer before being able to access their pensions, abolishing the eight-hour workday, and allowing more outsourcing.

"In addition to more jobs, (the reforms) will lead to a more harmonious work relationship and, therefore, less litigation," said Temer.

The president did say the government will fine companies that discriminate between men and women through unequal pay.

The reforms aim to lift Brazil out of its recession.

"Less than a year ago, I received a country with many millions of unemployed. Unemployment still exists, but we are working all the time to change that," Temer said, adding "we are already beginning to see the results."

Unemployment registered a record 13.7 percent of the population actively seeking work in the first quarter of the year, the worst rate since 2012, when records began to be kept in keeping with International Labor Organization (ILO) rules.

Currently Brazil has no set retirement age. Workers are able to access their pensions after working and contributing to the pension system for 30 years.

According to a survey published on Monday by the regional daily Folha de Sao Paulo, 71 percent of Brazilians oppose the labor reforms.

On Friday, a nationwide general strike, the country's first in more than 20 years, saw a generalized shut down of businesses across the country to protest the measures. Endit