EXTENSÃO UNIVERSITÁRIA E TRABALHO: AUTOGESTÃO EM UMA ASSOCIAÇÃO DE CATADORES.

The recyclable material collectors have been structuring collective work organizations in the form of cooperatives and associations, where workers are the owners of the means of production that they use and seek for an organization based on self-management. Despite some advances, they are exposed to risk factors and long working hours, and although they participate in the lucrative productive chain, they have low incomes, and have been facing difficulties to acquire work equipment. Taking these factors into consideration, an extracurricular project was developed with ATLIMARJOM, a group of recyclable materials collectors from João Monlevade. The objective of the project was to stimulate the selfmanagement through training and technical assistance to these workers. The methods used were work observations, training based on the pedagogy of the alternation, and softwares for elaboration of production layout. After that, all recyclable material collectors had a training about it and together with the workers, a new layout was developed. These results allowed the collectors' organization to be strengthened through a new logistic management of spaces and the recognition of PPE as protection tools, as well as the possibility knowledge acquisition for the course's team as a result of the direct contact with the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]