Solidarity with the São Paulo subway workers' strike!

Posted in Tubeworker's blog on ,

Subway workers in São Paulo, Brazil, are striking to win a 12% wage increase. Their strike is now into its fifth day.

Strikers and supporters clashed with riot police on Monday 9 June, as Brazil gears up for the start of the World Cup.

Workers in other industries have also struck, facing repression from the police and the military, as the approaching World Cup highlights glaring and growing social inequality in Brazil.

Tubeworker expresses our full solidarity with our brothers and sisters in São Paulo, and will be exploring ways to build practical support amongst transport workers in London.


URGENT CALL FROM BRAZIL: WE NEED YOUR SOLIDARITY

Everyone has been following the mobilisations going on in Brazil with strikes and demonstration by workers and popular organisations expressing their indignation about the World Cup with its astronomic costs and corruption, all in function of the interests of the multinational companies and FIFA.

But at the same time people have been putting forward their concrete struggles making demands for salaries, rights, housing, better public services. They have denounced repression and criminalization of dissent, etc.

At this moment, the transit workers in São Paulo are in the fifth day of a strike which began last Thursday. The transport workers carry 4,000,000 passengers every day in the city where, next Thursday, 12 June, the opening of the World Cup will take place.

Because this strike is so important, the government has decided that it has to be defeated come what may. It is seeking to impose an end to the strike and also prevent the mobilisations from escalating in the coming days.

The Brazilian Justice Ministry, working hand-in-hand with the interests of the government, big business and FIFA declared the strike illegal today and demanded that the transit workers return to work immediately. It has established a daily fine of US$250,000 on their union for non-compliance.

This decision by the Justice Ministry allows the government to dismiss the strikers, contravening all their legal and economic rights. We are counting on the support and solidarity of all the Brazilian union centres that are organising initiatives in support of the strike.

The union and the workers have decided to continue the strike, despite the government’s orders, in order to defend their demands and also to defend their right to strike. We need your support and solidarity. Send messages to the e-mails below, post photos on social networks, broadcast this call on your lists and web sites, etc.

• Full support for the São Paulo transit workers
• Respond to the demands of the transit sector
• Defend the right to strike.!
• No to repression, no punishment!
• Alckman [São Paulo governor] — negotiate!

Altino Prazeres
President, São Paulo Transit Workers Union

Metro workers' union site
Metro workers' union Facebook page

Send messages of support to:
sindicato@metroviarios-sp.org.br
imprensa@metroviarios-sp.org.br

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