3 July, 2007Five shots were fired at the porter's lodge at the union offices. Fortunately, nobody was hit.
BRAZIL: The national metalworkers' confederation (Confederación Nacional de Metalúrgicos - CNM) has announced that the Taubaté Metalworkers' Union, affiliated to CNM/CUT, suffered another attack during the night of Monday 2 July. At approximately 22.20, five shots were fired at the porter's lodge. Fortunately, nobody was hit, as the security guard was not in the lodge when the shots were fired.
The Military Police and the Technical Police arrived at the scene and identified the bullet cartridges found there.
The vice president of the Taubaté Metalworkers' Union, Isaac do Carmo, said that this was yet another attack on trade union freedom and autonomy by the opposition that is due to contest the trade union elections this year.
"We are on the eve of elections to the union, which is one of the most important and representative in the state of São Paulo and the metalworking industry in Brazil. This behaviour shows the opposition is desperate and unable to conduct a political debate with the workers on the shopfloor and that it has opted for psychological and physical intimidation," said Isaac.
The union was attacked for the first time earlier this year, on June 5, when bombs were thrown at the union office and the union received an anonymous phone call making death threats against the union president, Valmir Marques da Silva.
The Military Police and the Technical Police arrived at the scene and identified the bullet cartridges found there.
The vice president of the Taubaté Metalworkers' Union, Isaac do Carmo, said that this was yet another attack on trade union freedom and autonomy by the opposition that is due to contest the trade union elections this year.
"We are on the eve of elections to the union, which is one of the most important and representative in the state of São Paulo and the metalworking industry in Brazil. This behaviour shows the opposition is desperate and unable to conduct a political debate with the workers on the shopfloor and that it has opted for psychological and physical intimidation," said Isaac.
The union was attacked for the first time earlier this year, on June 5, when bombs were thrown at the union office and the union received an anonymous phone call making death threats against the union president, Valmir Marques da Silva.