Oil workers obtain injunctions against executive order that 'suffocates' unions.
The FUP, the Unified Federation of Oil Workers, reports that nine unions have obtained an injunction forcing Petrobras to maintain the payroll deduction of union dues; the company had stated that it would comply with the Provisional Measure issued by the Bolsonaro government at the beginning of Carnival; "the objective of Petrobras and its subsidiaries is to stifle the union entities in their resistance to the dismantling of the company," the federation affirms.
From the Rede Brasil Atual While the Supreme Federal Court (STF) has not yet ruled on the lawsuits against Provisional Measure (MP) 873, regarding union financing, entities have been obtaining court injunctions to preserve their rights. In the case of oil workers, FUP, the federation of the category, reports that nine unions have already obtained an injunction obligating Petrobras to maintain the payroll deduction of union dues. The company had stated that it would comply with the MP issued by the Bolsonaro government at the beginning of Carnival.
"The goal of Petrobras and its subsidiaries is to stifle labor unions in their resistance to the dismantling of the company," states the federation. "To block the arbitrary measure taken by management, FUP and its unions filed labor lawsuits across the country on Monday, the 18th, demanding the maintenance of payroll deductions for union dues."
Last Friday (15), when Petrobras gave notice to the unions, FUP sent an extrajudicial notification, demanding that the company reverse the "arbitrary decision", claiming that the measure is unconstitutional. The entity cites article 8 of the Constitution, regarding union funding.
"Petrobras announced the cut on the same day that (Roberto) Castello Branco (president of the state-owned company) declared to the world his dream of privatizing the entire company, and in a scenario where it is a priority for Bolsonaro to paralyze the unions that are fighting against the pension reform," observes Normando Rodrigues, legal advisor to FUP. According to him, in the case of the state-owned company, it is an "authoritarian attitude that not even the military dictatorship took."
The Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and the Labor Prosecutor's Office (MPT) have already expressed their opposition to Provisional Measure 873. In Congress, a commission has been formed to analyze the measure.
The unions that have obtained injunctions so far are those from Amazonas, Northern Rio de Janeiro, Paraná (chemical sector), Paraná-Santa Catarina, Espírito Santo, Rio Grande do Norte, Duque de Caxias, Bahia, and São Paulo.