Origin and composition
CONLUTAS was constituted in the early 2004, following the initiative of trade union entities in the public and private sectors in order to challenge the proposals of Trade Union Reform defended by the Lula administration and the trade union centrals – CUT and Força Sindical).
This reform – were it to be passed – would mean an enormous step backwards for Brazilian workers in the scope of labour rights as well as trade union organisation. This fact, added to the 2004 experience with the reform of social security system led the entities to the obvious conclusion that, in order to prevent this reverse from taking place, they would have to fight against the government from outside of the centrals, because the centrals supported the trade union reform, betraying the interests of the workers.
As the name itself makes clear, it is a “coordination” that includes trade unions social movements and youth organisations – especially students. The trade union entities that are now part of the CONLUTAS represent workers from the public sector and from the private sector. . Today between 180 and 190 entities gather inside CONLUTAS. Ten of those are federations and national trade unions, among them National University Teachers’ Trade Union (ANDES/SN), national Federation of National Treasury Workers Democratic Federation of Metallurgic Workers of Mina Gerais, national Federation of Treasury Auditors (FENAPISP), National Trade Union of Auditors of Federal Revenue (UNAFISCO) National trade Union of Federal Basic and Professional Education Employees (SINASEFE). Apart from that about 170 grassroots trade unions and about 100 trade union oppositions. Various social movements are also taking part: those fighting for housing, land reform (the latest social movement to adhere so far was Movement Land and Liberty – MTL), also student’s organisations who split away from the National Union of Students (UNE) and some popular movements of a more cultural nature.
Actions carried out by CONLUTAS
We were part of the resistance against the passing of this reform, on 16/06/04 we held a demonstration in Brasilia with nearly 10 000 people rallying to protest against the government’s and the centrals’ attempts at having this bill passed in the congress. The demonstration also voiced its protest against university reform and against the government’s economic policy. In November we took part in another demonstration in Brasilia, also against university reform and economic policy of the administration. Las August 17th we held our third national demonstration with nearly 15 000 demonstrators in Brasilia, this time protesting against corruption, neoliberal reforms and economic policies of the Lula administration.
Apart from those demonstrations of a more general character, we hold demonstration in the states and participating and supporting the struggles of the different categories and movements so that the Coordination would effectively become an instrument for struggles and not just a space for reflection. It was the same in the latest national strike of bank workers and in a recent strike of post office, in the strike taking place right now of federal employees of the area of education and in the salary campaigns of metallurgic workers, oil workers, among others.
CONLUTAS stemmed out of the National Trade Union Encounter held in Lizania, Federal District in March 2004, where nearly 1800 trade union activists and leaders and representatives of social movements from all over the country got together and another one last August, in Brasilia, with nearly 1700 participants.
