Canadian workers stand in solidarity with Brazilian trade unions protesting government pension policies that weaken workers’ rights.
On Friday, June 14, Brazilian trade union national centres, grassroots unions, students, and popular and social movements are going on a national general strike to protest government neoliberal reforms to the Brazilian social security system. These reforms attack poorer workers while maintaining the privilege of the elites. Brazilian trade union leaders warn that if the reforms are not stopped, the right to retirement will disappear.
Both the government that took power in Brazil after the coup d’état in 2016, and the government elected in 2018 after the illegitimate imprisonment of former President Lula, have implemented a series of measures to weaken and eliminate workers’ rights.
“Social security should not be a privilege for the few who can pay for a private-based system,” says Hassan Yussuff, CLC President and President of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas. “We join Brazilian workers in fighting neoliberal policies that threaten the security and dignity of workers worldwide.”
