![]() ![]() At least half the subway lines were idle and many suburban buses were as well.įive metro lines were fully closed, and another seven only operated at peak hours. ![]() The police and the Interior Ministry put the number of demonstrators in Paris at 2,000-4,000, while there were no riots or scuffles during the protest.Īlthough there were other protests scattered around France in cities like Lyon or Montpellier, disruptions were heavily concentrated in Paris, where workers of the Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) public transport network have overwhelmingly backed the strike, declaring a Jeudi Noir (Black Thursday) for services. local time (1300GMT) at the Place de la Republique and ended at Place de la Bastille. ![]() The CGT was behind the multisector one-day strike, which threatened to paralyze the capital’s public transport network.Īccording to the CGT, 4,000 people took part in the demonstration in Paris, which kicked off at 2 p.m. They will win and we will stand beside them every step of the way.French unions showed their muscle Thursday in the streets of Paris and dozens of other cities in the country in the latest expression in a campaign of nationwide industrial action to demand improved pay and working conditions, denounce the increased cost of living, and demand relief from the government from soaring prices.Īround 150-200 demonstrations were announced for the day all over France by the Confederation Generale du Travail (CGT) labor union. But our Brazilian sisters and brothers show a bottomless reserve of determination to stand up to this ruthless behavior. It wants to impoverish the working class through stripping away hard fought gains and silencing the unions by cutting back on bargaining rights and choking off union resources. UNI Global Union General Secretary, Christy Hoffman said, “The Brazilian government does not hide its intentions. “We are demonstrating against the Pension Reform, and also for the release of Lula, and for a true democracy where the interest of corrupt politicians are not above the interest of the people,” he concluded. Marcio Monzane, Regional Secretary of UNI Americas said: “We are in Brazil to express our support for our affiliates, and because we are not going to give up on our hard fought achievements and rights.” The Brazilian people are taking to the streets to show their anger : we have already seen it in the massive mobilisations against the Labor and Education Reforms, and recently against the proposed Pension Reform. Bolsonaro is adopting policies which explicitly target unions in order to reduce their influence in society. The new law which prohibits the payroll deduction of union fees, the reductions in salaries, attacks on job security and pensions are also creating a new kind of poverty. The current policies of the Brazilian government are actively worsening conditions for workers and intentionally attacking unions, with high levels of unemployment that increase every month, and an economy that has touched bottom. The general strike scheduled for June 14 across Brazil has a clear message for the government of Jair Bolsonaro: economic growth cannot be at the expense of cutting back on the rights of workers and pensioners. ![]()
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