5 December, 2008In the Fifth March of the Working Class, the country's trade union centrals brought together 35,000 workers and presented their proposals to combat the financial crisis to the Chamber of Deputies and Senate of the Brazilian Congress.
BRAZIL: Thirty-five thousand demonstrators gathered along the Esplanade of Ministries in the capital, Brasilia, for the Fifth National March of the Working Class and a rally in support of Development and Work.
The demonstration was called by the country's trade union centrals - Força Sindical, CUT, CTB, CGTB, UGT and NCST and took place in front of the National Congress. It called for safeguards for employment, a guaranteed income and for measures to protect workers against the impact of the international financial crisis.
The demonstration also called for an increase in the minimum wage, defence of the country's oil reserves and a new energy policy and ratification of Conventions 151 (on collective bargaining in public services) and 158 (which prohibits termination of employment without a valid reason).
The march began at 9 a.m. in Mané Garrincha sports centre car park and continued to the National Congress where demonstrators held a rally led by the trade union centrals and attended by political party leaders.
The trade union centrals presented a unified list of demands to the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The document contained 18 proposals to combat the crisis, including increases in the minimum wage, income tax reductions and a reduced working week without reduction in pay.
In the afternoon, a series of meetings was held with ministry representatives and this continued until Thursday. Union leaders met the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Arlindo Chinaglia, and the President of the Senate, Garibaldi Alves Filho, to discuss the movement's demands.
The President of the CUT, Artur Henrique, said the march had been a success. "It is a major achievement to unite workers from all over the country and from different trade union centrals at this moment of crisis. It shows that Brazilian workers are ready to fight", he said.
The President of Força Sindical, Paulo Pereira da Silva (Paulinho), said: "We are going to mobilise and organise the workers and we will go on strike if they try to sack us". "Anyone who wants to make a profit should invest in production and not in speculation", he added, referring to employers.