Workers rally against labor and pension overhauls in Brazil

Acts of vandalism, congested traffic, and halted trains and metro lines marked the National Day for the Fight against the Labor and Pension Reforms, against the overhauls under deliberation by special commissions at the Chamber of Deputies. President Michel Temer has reiterated his pleas for lawmakers to approve the changes as quickly as possible.

In the early hours, of rural movements stormed the Finance Ministry, in Brasília, after breaking glass windows in the building.

The protest gathered around 500 people, some of whom accompanying children, the Military Police reported. According to the Landless Workers' Movement, however, 1,500 people convened for the rally.

At least two protests against the pension reform are causing an impact on the traffic in major thoroughfares in downtown Rio de Janeiro. of the Internationalistic Homeless Front (FIST) marched all the way to the city center.

The rallies slowed down the traffic on Brasil Avenue, the main connection between north and west zones to the city center.

Port workers staged their demonstration outside the entrance to the Port of Rio de Janeiro.

São Paulo

The city of São Paulo woke up this morning without its chief means of public transport, the metro, which serves some 3.2 million people. Also, nearly all bus lines were halted, and the traffic was blocked in several areas due to the stoppages.

The decision of metro workers to the countrywide movement violated a court ruling which stipulated that operations were not to be interrupted in the rush hour (6-9 am, 4-7 pm) and were allowed to be reduced to 70% in other time periods.

To alleviate the traffic congestion, the authorities suspended the city's mandatory license-number rotation for vehicles, allowed the use of bus-dedicated lanes for all vehicles, and removed the fees for parking spaces in the blue zone.

In addition to the increase in the number of cars on the streets, further hindrances were brought about by blocks in at least five locations in the city.

Bahia

In Salvador, the Military Police announced that some 9 thousand took part in the demonstrations, most of them bank workers and education professionals.

According to Cedro Silva, (CUT) in Bahia, the rallies are a way for workers to resist the proposal for the labor reform.

“We won't let millions of workers to be harmed with this reform, because the people have not been heard. We won't let this reform be approved, because it's a set back for the country,” the union leader argued.

The reforms

One of the most controversial topics in the labor reform is that it allows internal deals between employers and workers to supersede the law, which may lead to a change in the work day, among other things.

As for the pension overhaul, the great debate centers on setting the minimum age for men and women at 65, abolishing the possibility or retiring for length of contribution, currently set at 30 years for women and 35 for men.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira