Strike: Secretary fears "radicalism"
A general strike by municipal employees puts Mayor ACM Neto (DEM) to his first test; a group of workers blocked the Lapa Station this morning; the city hall continues to ask for patience; "We don't have the financial means right now, for example, to meet certain demands, because that represents a major impact on the city's finances. I remind you that the city's 2013 deficit is R$560 million, with only R$100 million in payroll," says the Secretary of Management, Alexandre Pauperio.
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The Municipal Secretary of Management, Alexandre Pauperio, said that the City Hall will continue negotiating with unions and entities that represent the various categories of employees and asked that the strike movement "not descend into radicalism" and harm the population. The manager thanked the employees who continue working normally, "maintaining the functioning of the City Hall and the provision of services to the population."
A new round of negotiations between the municipal Executive and the Union of Municipal Employees of Salvador (Sindseps) will take place this Thursday (16), at 17 pm, at the headquarters of the Management Secretariat, in Barris. Yesterday Pauperio received representatives of the entity to discuss specifically the 50 items that make up the list of demands from the various categories. According to the city hall, there were advances on points such as the issue of the health plan for employees.
Despite the secretary's optimism, the situation is worsening due to the dissatisfaction of the employees. Today, a group of strikers closed the Lapa Station and prevented buses from entering the terminal for almost the entire morning. Alexandre Pauperio says that the city government is unable to meet the demands.
"We don't have the financial means right now, for example, to meet certain requests, because that would have a major impact on the City Hall's finances. I remind you that the City Hall's 2013 deficit was R$560 million, with R$100 million of that being payroll expenses," said the secretary.
"Essential services such as cleaning, lighting, cemeteries, the Municipal Guard, pothole repair and asphalt resurfacing, social assistance, and job placement continue to function normally thanks to the understanding of the employees who trust in the new administration's willingness to value the various categories of public servants with short, medium, and long-term actions," the city hall said in a statement.