Thu Mar 28, 2024
March 28, 2024

Senate Approves Constitutional Amendment 55 In First Turn

In the evening of November 29, the Brazilian Senate approved by 61 to 14 votes, in first turn, the Constitutional Amendment 55 [PEC 55], know as the PEC of the costs ceiling, that proposes the freezing of public costs for 20 years. In case it is definitely approved, it should cut millions of Health, Education and other social areas over the next years. It is the step prior to the Social Security reform.

By PSTU Brazil.

Few hours before the Senators voted the measure demanded by the banks, there was a demonstration outside of more than 20 thousand people, led by federations like CSP-Conlutas, besides organizations of the field of education, like Andes (Public University professors), Sinasefe (federal technicians) and Fasubra (administrative-techniques of public universities), besides metal workers, teachers in general and several other sectors. The demonstration was brutally repressed by the police.

We were with thousands on the streets of Brasilia, against the PEC, the reforms and for the defeat of Temer, and they threw bombs to the demonstrators”, told us Mandi Coelho, from ANEL and member of the youth of PSTU. “We deliver a message to this government: we will not accept any form of repression! The people will continue to struggle against the reform of Mid School, against the School Without Party, against the PEC 55 and against all attacks targeted to the students, youth, women and workers as a whole”, she added.

The repression lasted for hours, it broke the fence and took the Esplanade of the Ministries in a true war field. The president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros (PMDB Alagoas) even cancelled the voting, but it re-took it short time after. Not even the grief of the country about the accident of Chapecoense was enough to sensitize the senators. The point was to show the bankers the priority of this Congress is to address their interests.

Now it is important, urgent, to go to back to the factories and organize a General Strike”, affirms the Construction workers Atnágoras Lopes, from the Executive Leadership of CSP-Conlutas.

General Strike

November was a month of struggles, with demonstrations and stoppages along the country, which summit was on the past November 25. It showed the disposition to struggle of the working class and the youth, and the possibility of a General Strike to stop the country against Temer’s attacks. The main Federations’ leaderships, however, not only did not call for a strike as they accept to sit at the table with Temer to negotiate rights, as the Social Security. November 30 [yesterday] there will be a meeting between Temer and the Federations, to debate the proposal of reform, pretending to attack the workers’ retirement [we will update the results of the meeting in another article].

The rights are not negotiable. It is necessary to push the Federations’ leaderships to leave the negotiation table and build a General Strike from below.

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Translation: Sofia Ballack.

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