Wellton Máximo          Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília – The so-called “general command” (“comando geral”) of the strike by Military Police in the state Bahia has announced that the 12-day strike is now over (the announcement was made Saturday night, January 11), but pointed out that they remain on “strike alert,” as their demands were not met. Even so, representatives of striking policemen consider the movement victorious in that it made the facts known: that is, that police salaries are very low and that they have been mistreated by the state government.

“We consider the movement victorious because of the impact we had on the state and the nation. The end of the movement does mean we accept the government’s proposal or that our struggle is over. We remain determined to achieve better working conditions and respect,” said a note from the general command. The note went on to point out that the movement showed a high degree of maturity in avoiding an outright confrontation with the Army and that rulings by Judicial authorities were negotiated. The note concluded by saying that the striking PMs understood that the population had to be protected and was therefore ending the strike.

According to spokespersons for the state of Bahia, PMs who were on strike until January 9 will not be punished (“punição administrativa”). However, they told Agência Brasil that the fate of the 12 leaders of the strike movement is no longer in the hands of governor Jacques Wagner, but will have to be determined in a court of law (arrest warrants were issued for the leaders and remain in effect)…. At the same time, according to the same sources, the state government’s proposal for a salary increase of 6.5%, retroactive to January, and the payment of gratifications between now and the year 2015, will mean an increase in wages of over 37% for all PMs.

Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English - content modified

Link - PMs da Bahia encerram greve, mas dizem que mobilização continua