Brazilian Pension Funds Authority promotes mediation and conciliation at UniAbrapp workshop on pension disputes

The Brazilian Pension Funds Authority (PREVIC) participated in the opening of UniAbrapp’s workshop on negotiation, mediation and conciliation in the closed supplementary pension sector, framing alternative dispute resolution as a tool to preserve pension arrangements and manage conflict. PREVIC also highlighted that it has a Mediation, Conciliation and Arbitration Chamber that provides free mediation and conciliation services for disputes between closed pension entities and their participants, beneficiaries, sponsors or founders. PREVIC’s director-superintendent, Ricardo Pena, argued that while conflict is part of these relationships, there needs to be a path to pacification through clarity on what the parties want, a negotiated space and proposals for solutions. PREVIC’s federal chief counsel, Leandro da Guarda, described mediation, conciliation and negotiation as governance tools that can minimise risk, noting that litigation risk can create instability in pension arrangements and that consensual solutions can be reached more quickly. UniAbrapp’s president, Jarbas de Biagi, pointed to the inclusion of access and transparency provisions in Complementary Law 109/2001 as a means to reduce conflict among entities and stakeholders. The workshop’s first cohort runs from 1 to 5 September in a hybrid format and is taught by Professor Carlindo Rodrigues de Oliveira.