Brazilians launch indefinite strike against pension reform
The Confederación Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación joined massive protests in Brazil on Wednesday, 15 March to oppose the pension system reform proposed by President Michel Temer’s interim government.
The protests took place in over 23 state capitals across the country. Joining the Confederación Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (CNTE) call for action were a number of other rural workers’, social and union movements from other branches. The CNTE managed to achieve a 98% participation rate from affiliated organisations in different states across the country.
The CNTE, affiliated with Education International (EI), has called on the entire educational community to join in an indefinite strike now underway.
The CNTE General Secretary and EI Latin America Regional Committee Vice-President Fátima Silva consider Wednesday’s movement a success.
“Several municipalities that we were not expecting to join also participated in the strike. Today, Brazil’s education system is completely paralysed, along with various other sectors”, stated Silva.
The government reform seeks to benefit financial systems, bankers and the legislators who cut deals in order to finance their campaigns, stated Silva as the day of protest commenced in Brazil.
For CNTE President Heleno Araújo, what happened in Brasilia is testament to the uprisings that are taking place all over the country.
"We are the majority in this country, a majority that produces wealth, a majority that puts food on the table for every person here. We cannot allow a mere three hundred people who represent the minority to change labour laws and impose this pension reform”, stated Araújo.
The CNTE President considers these to be rights that have been won with much struggle, and “we cannot let them be wiped out like this”.
Within each state, district or municipality, every union affiliated with the CNTE will debate demands with managers and society at large in order to involve the entire educational community in a public commitment to valuing the public education system and those who work in it.
