Postal workers in Brazil ended their month-long strike last week emerging more united and determined to battle against privatization of the post office. It follows a ruling by the Supreme Labour Court on 21 September that gave workers a 2.6 per cent pay rise but led to certain benefits being withdrawn.
Read MoreUNI Global Union is asking affiliates to support postal unions in Brazil for global day of action timed to coincide with a crucial court hearing on Monday 21 September. Near 100,000 postal workers in Brazil have been on strike for over a month because the state-owned postal company, Correios, has unilaterally terminated its collective agreement with UNI affiliates FENTECT and FINDECT.
Read MoreThe majority of people who have died of covid-19 in the city of São Paulo live in areas where the population depends on public transportation. Research done by the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), cross referenced data on covid-19 fatalities and the most recent study on subway departures and destinations, undertaken in 2017. The preliminary results indicate that those living in poorer districts, who have not been able to isolate and still take public transport, are the most common victims of the disease.
Read MoreSome 90,000 workers at the Brazilian post office (Correios) have decided to launch a national strike starting this Tuesday, 18 August. By 8.30 p.m. on Monday, 80% of the 36 unions that make up the company’s workers’ trade union federation, Fentect, had already held meetings, approving the start of the strike. The aim is to defend the public postal service, working conditions, wages and the health of workers, all of which are threatened by the criminal policies of the Bolsonaro government. Correios is the first public company to enter the…
Read MoreThe land repossession of the Quilombo Campo Grande camp in Minas Gerais was carried out this Friday August 14, after the Military Police committed violent actions against the families that resisted the eviction for almost 60 hours. In the early afternoon, police shot tear gas against the members of the camp. According to the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST), the houses and crops were destroyed several hours later. The Eduardo Galeano Popular School, where children, youth and adults study, was also destroyed the day before.
Read MoreA public opinion poll taken July 21–25 shows that the communist governor of the important state of Maranhão (population 6.5 million) is overwhelmingly popular among the state’s residents. The poll showed an approval rate of 67% for Governor Flávio Dino of the Communist Party of Brazil, and a disapproval rate of only 29%. The survey was carried out by Extra/TV Difusora, which polled 1,406 people.
Read MoreThe workers of the Sao Paulo Metro are massively organized in a struggle union and have organized many strikes in recent years. A the relationship of forces has thus been created which has just enabled them to win over their demands, by the mere threat of a new massive, strong and determined strike. The proposal, accepted by the Public Ministry of Labour and Secretary of Metropolitan Transport, was put to a vote at the General Assembly held from 6 to 10.30 p.m. on 27/7 ; it was approved by 84% of…
Read MoreBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s response to the Covid-19 crisis is a crime against humanity, alleges a lawsuit filed 27 July at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. The Brazilian Union Network UNISaúde, whose affiliated unions represent more than one million workers in 18 states, the Federal District, and all regions of the country, filed the case accusing the Bolsonaro administration of being criminally negligent in its management of the Covid-19 pandemic—risking the lives of healthcare professionals and of members of the Brazilian society. The unions believe it is…
Read MoreOn Sunday, May 31, Brazilians took to the streets to counter neo-Nazi demonstrators and to protest police violence against people of color. From the start of the pandemic, progressive forces emphasized life and democracy, with the understanding that science is the best defense to preserve people from Covid-19 and respect for social institutions is necessary to defend democracy. While science indicates that social isolation is the best road to save lives, we need a guaranteed right to isolation, which can be accomplished only by measures of social protection enacted by…
Read More“To us, the change in Brazil’s foreign policy has been extreme. It is sad because to the Foreign Affairs Ministries of Latin America and the Caribbean, Itamaraty has been a historical reference,” asserted Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza in an online contact with federal congressmen Glauber Vera and Paulo Pimenta, and former federal congresswoman Socorro Gomes. The Venezuelan foreign minister stressed that Jair Bolsonaro’s foreign policy has violated the proceedings, academic criteria and deep geopolitical study conducted by Brazil’s Foreign Ministry years ago.
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