Trade unions protest against fiscal adjustment and for Petrobras
In São Paulo, protesters gathered outside the Petrobras headquearters
Members of trade union centers and social movements like the Unified Workers' Center (CUT) and the Landless Rural Workers' Movement (MST) have slated a number of demonstrations for today (Mar 13) in several state capitals.
Protesters are to show support for the Brazilian state-controlled oil giant Petrobras and the political reform, and come out against the fiscal adjustment measures announced by the government, CUT says.
The beginning of the demonstrations, scheduled for different times in each state, will be marked by a tweet-in, in which protesters will simultaneously publish messages on Twitter about their demands. In São Paulo, marches are expected to start at 3pm on Paulista Avenue, outside the Petrobras headquarters.
In a statement, CUT urges workers and members of all affiliated organizations to fight for labor rights by joining the action.
Oil workers from the Paulínia Refinery, in Campinas, São Paulo, delayed their entry by nearly one hour and a half to hear clarifications on the protests throughout the country, according to the Unified Federation of Oil Workers (FUP).
FUP coordinator José Maria Rangel released a statement in which he emphasizes the urgent need to fight for national sovereignty, employment for oil workers, and control over the country's oil reserves.
Demonstrators also call for the revocation of the provisional measures which take away workers' rights by changing the criteria applied for granting pensions for death and reducing their access to Social Security benefits, like the unemployment insurance, the sickness allowance and the bonus salary. Instead, oil workers argue, the government should tax the rich on their wealth.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Trade unions protest against fiscal adjustment and for Petrobras
