MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Clashes in Sao Paulo between striking subway workers and riot police
Police in Sao Paulo fired tear gas Monday to disperse protesters supporting a subway strike that has unleashed transport chaos three days before the Brazilian mega-city hosts the World Cup kick-off. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesEnd of the “ Let's get some $R-Blackmail ” in the name of the World Cup.
Jun 09th, 2014 - 11:05 pm - Link - Report abuse 060 of the striking Metro workers were fired Monday.
“ Who got fired ? Those who had already been booked for vandalism, improper use of the subway, who physically blocked access or who incited the public to enter without paying. In conclusion, those who committed the most serious offenses,” the transport secretary of Sao Paulo, Jurandir Fernandes, said on a local radio station. ”
The feeling here is that the 12.2 % increase demanded by the Union was just too much. And no one on strike was losing daily wages, for the record.
Please note that according to our labor laws in Brasil, those on strike remain paid just as those that remain working.
There your laws.
Jun 10th, 2014 - 05:16 am - Link - Report abuse 0Bodes well for the Olympics.
@1
Jun 10th, 2014 - 07:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0What is the point in working if you get paid when on strike? Good for those on strike but must be frustrating for those prepared to work and unable to.
They seem to be represented by the same union as the ones on the London Underground . Good old RMT .
Jun 10th, 2014 - 07:13 am - Link - Report abuse 0The Court here also declared the strike illegal and placed a daily fine in the thousands for the union, should they continue.
Jun 10th, 2014 - 09:40 am - Link - Report abuse 0The union responded that they felt they had actually earned a 16.6 % increase, which is absurd, and that they will continue to strike.
Which I hope they postpone until the World Cup is over.
In other news part of the new monorail collapsed under construction with fatalities. That won't impact the Cup as completion is now scheduled for the Olympics, but it is one more black mark here.
@5 The problem with your comment is that those who strike will ALWAYS say that the increase has been earned and those that are affected will ALWAYS say that it is absurd. Just note that the union has shifted position, the employer hasn't moved a millimetre.
Jun 10th, 2014 - 11:18 am - Link - Report abuse 0That speaks volumes to me. The union had an aspiration that it had little hope of achieving. But it is prepared to be more realistic. The employer, backed up by the government, the army and the police, together with its eye on shareholders and profits, isn't. Look at it from that perspective.
What's your current annual inflation rate? 6.37% and rising. So any pay claim has to start by taking that into account. The workers, and union, want pay to reflect a reasonable standard of living. The employers don't care. THEY don't have to live on what they pay their workforce.
Don't subway workers have to work underground all day? Do you have to work underground all day? Before I retired I recall periods when I went to work in the dark, and it was dark again before I left. Very depressing. Do try to think about what you ask people to do for the money you want to pay!
Nr. 6 -
Jun 10th, 2014 - 06:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The situation is evolving as we speak.
Earlier today the union agreed to a postponement of 2 days. That coincides with the strike resuming immediately ahead of an opener for Thursday, which remains a threat as it is intended to.
Many of us have worked nights, long days, outdoors, and underground on projects at one time or another in our lives. Some actually prefer it.
I agree with your comments on union contracts in general, but the fact is this union had an increase in pay granted earlier this year.
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