General Strike for the pension reform of Bolsonaro

The unions celebrated the result of the measure; there were steps and street cuts

RIO DE JANEIRO.- The right-wing government

Jair Bolsonaro

Yesterday faced the first general strike against his leadership, organized by the Brazilian trade union centers to reject the pension reform discussed in Congress and the planned cuts in the education sector.

The trade union measure has disrupted urban mobility in at least 24 states and Brasilia, especially in the first hour of the day, according to the newspaper.
O Globo.

"The strike is a success," said Única de Trabajadores, the main trade union center in Brazil, who called for the protest. According to estimates by this organization, 45 million people have joined the measure of force, launched against a reform considered essential by the government economic team to revive the economy.

The Bolsonaro government aims to raise the retirement age to 65 for men and 62 for women and to increase the contributions of active workers.

"As long as the government maintains its pension reform proposal that weakens the workers and increases the number of miserable, we will continue to lead the protest movement," said Adriana da Silva Nalesso, president of the Rio Banking Union. .

"This is a reform that will end retirement, which will force workers to work until their death," said Carolina Cacau, a protester who participated in protests on the streets of Rio.

The bill tabled the day before yesterday before a parliamentary committee, with the support of the ruling party caucus, has nevertheless ruled out some of the most controversial proposals, such as those on pensions received by needy elderly people or by rural workers.

In São Paulo, the metro worked partially during the morning and some bus lines were not operational. Protesters blocked several major avenues, which erected barricades with burning car tires, while schools and banks remained largely closed.

Streets were also blocked in Rio de Janeiro, but buses, trains and the subway were functioning normally. A demonstration on Brazil Avenue was dispersed by military police officers who fired tear gas at protesters. In Niteroi, located in front of Rio, five people were hit by motorists during a protest.

The protests in Rio Grande do Sul allowed the arrest of 76 people. Spokesmen for the military police, the force in charge of the operation, said without further details that the arrests were due to episodes of "disobedience" and "disregard of authority". Other regional capitals, such as João Pessoa, Curitiba, Maceió and Salvador, were also the scene of protests.

AP and AFP agencies