Protest the Repression Against Strikers
1)
Stop the Repression Against the Public-Sector Strikers! -- Statement
issued August 2 by the O Trabalho Current of the Workers Party (PT)
2)
BRAZIL: The Meaning of the Struggle of the Public-Sector Workers Against
the Reform of the Pension System -- a background article by Anisio
Homem (O Trabalho Current) dated July 14, 2003. The article is reprinted
from ILC International Newsletter No. 36
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1) STOP THE REPRESSION AGAINST THE PUBLIC-SECTOR STRIKERS!
On August 1, in the main office of the National Institute of Social
Security (INSS) in Brasilia [the nation's capital], new and regrettable
acts of repression were committed against striking public-sector
workers. This time one of the victims of the aggression was Senator
Heloisa Helena (Workers Party/PT), her parliamentary immunity
notwithstanding. Helena had accompanied a delegation of striking
public-sector workers into the INSS building.
An elite brigade from the Federal Police -- the COT brigade -- was
dispatched to the scene about 6:30 p.m. According to the press, it had
orders from officials in the government to dislodge 18 strikers who were
part of a delegation that was waiting to be received by Taiti Inemami,
president of the INSS.
The press office of the Federal Police in Brasilia reported that the COT
force was activated to "guarantee the safety of public
patrimony." How is it possible that 18 people could put at risk the
"public patrimony," particularly when they were inside the
INSS building with the explicit purpose of meeting with its president to
negotiate?
The same press office stated that the police did not "use excessive
force" -- when, in fact, two tear gas bombs were launched at the
entrance of the building's garage where the public-sector unionists were
awaiting Inemami's return to the INSS headquarters from a meeting with
the Chief of Staff of the Civil House. Fifteen people were injured and
taken to the Hospital de Base. Senator Heloisa Helena was dragged from
the building by the police, together with trade union leader Janira
Rocha.
Following two previous espisodes in which state shock troops were called
out by the president of the Chamber of Deputies, João Paulo Cunha,
against protesting strikers in Itajaí (Santa Catarina), what has just
taken place at the INSS headquarters represents an escalation in the
repression that must be repudiated energetically, as it is an assault on
the legitimate right of the striking public-sector workers to
demonstrate and express their point of view. Democracy as such has been
trampled upon.
The O Trabalho current of the Workers Party fully supports the
public-sector workers and their right to organize, assemble and strike.
We condemn the acts of repression carried out by a government that the
overwhelming majority of the social and popular movement brought to
power -- not to repress the just struggle of the workers, but to open a
solution to the urgent and legitimate demands of our people.
We demand that those responsible for these savage acts against the
striking workers and against a Senator of the Republic be brought to
justice. This must be done immediately to safeguard basic democratic
rights.
São Paulo, August 2, 2003
O Trabalho Current of the Workers Party (PT)
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2) BRAZIL: The Meaning of the Struggle of the Public-Sector Workers
Against the Reform of the Pension System (excerpts)
Introduction
On July 8, public-sector workers in Brazil began a national strike
against the government's proposed measure to reform the Pension System
(Proposed Constitutional Amendment #40, or PEC 40). This proposal was
submitted to the National Congress by the Lula government and by the
State governors. Public-sector workers are demanding the withdrawal of
PEC 40 and the reopening of negotiations. The strike was called by
CONDSEF (National Federation of Federal Workers), which is composed of
eleven unions.
The proposed counter-reform concerns all three categories of
public-sector workers: federal, state and local (Brazil is a federation
of states). This measure would destroy a whole series of public-sector
workers' rights -- all in accordance with the dictates of the
International Monetary Fund.
PEC 40 suppresses outright the workers' ability to retire with a pension
equivalent to the worker's last full wages. It imposes on actual
retirees a fee on the retirement fund itself, increases the minimum age
for the retirement of public workers and diminishes by 30% widows'
pensions. The overall goal of this counter-reform is to to turn over the
retirement funds of the public workers to the speculators who handle the
private pension funds. According to a leaflet distributed by the Union
of Federal Workers in the Federal District (SINDISEP-DF), "the
bankers will benefit from it because from now till the year 2010 the
reform would create a pension-funds market of about 610 billion reais."
At the current exchange rate, that means more than US$200 billion would
be transferred from the public-sector workers' differred wages to
speculative funds.
Excerpts from a Correspondent in Brazil:
On its fifth day, the strike is strengthening and expanding to new
sections of the public sector, totalling more than 400,000 strikers --
that is. over 50% of federal workers.
Speculators are getting nervous
The strike has opened the floodgates of a social, political and
institutional crisis.
Faced with this new situation, José Dirceu (former president of the
Workers Party and presently a government minister) and João Paulo Cunha
(president of the National Congress, also a Workers Party member)
proposed some changes in the reform bill, promising to maintain the full
pension in exchange for an increase in the retirement age from 55 to 60
years for men, and from 50 to 55 years for women. But this proposal
achieved nothing but a deepening of the crisis.
The unions say the new bill is unacceptable. The proposed amendment has
even encouraged the continuation of the strike, according to Ramiro
Lopes, coordinator of FENAJUFE (federal justice workers).
On the other side, finance capital has reacted angrily to any idea of an
amendment to the proposed bill. A first sign was the big drop on the São
Paulo Stock Exchange on the two consecutive days after the government
announced it had agreed to modify the reform. Speculators consider that
maintaining the full pension hinders the development of speculative
pension funds.
Unity with the CUT Trade Union Federation
During the discussion at the 8th National Congress of the CUT
(United Workers Federation), not one of the 2,735 delegates to the
Congress defended the government's proposed reform of the pension system
-- not even the leaders of the main current of the union (Articulation),
close to Lula. This fact has been a point of support to attain unity of
all CUT currents against the reform. But the CUT Congress decided to
present proposals of amendments to the government's bill. This put the
public-sector unions affiliated to the CUT in a difficult situation,
because these unions are for withdrawal or suspension of the reform.
The strength of the strike, as well as the hesitations and doubts within
the government, has favored the struggle for an effective support by the
CUT for the strike. In several states, the CUT has led strikes and
demonstrations in support of the strikers. In other states, the CUT has
called joint meetings of all public-sector unions (of federal, state and
local workers) to organize delegations to a national public-sector
workers' meeting on July 24, to establish proposals for common actions
in August to embrace the entire public sector.
On July 15th a new meeting of the National Executive Commission of the
CUT will assess the situation.
Anísio Homem
July 14, 2003
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