'We're going to cut the point and demand payment of the fine'
The state government announced this Monday, the 23rd, that it will crack down on the civil police officers, who have been on strike since February 25th; the state's Attorney General, Sérgio do Vale, stated this Monday, the 23rd, that the strikers' pay will be docked; "We will dock their pay and demand payment of the fine," he affirmed; Civil police officers are expected to start April with zero paychecks; the president of Sinpol (the police union), Moisemar Marinho, said he is not afraid of layoffs, that the strike continues, and lashed out against the government; "Unfortunately, it seems that Governor Marcelo Miranda doesn't have trustworthy people on his side."
Tocantins 247 - The state government is prepared to enforce the law regarding the civil police officers, who have been on strike since February 25th. The state's Attorney General, Sérgio do Vale, stated this Monday, the 23rd, that the strikers' pay will be docked. As a result, the police officers are not expected to receive salaries this month.
"We will deduct points and demand payment of the fine," Vale told T1 Notícias (read here). Twenty days ago, Judge Maysa Vendramini deemed the strike illegal and ordered the officers to return to work. The police officers disobeyed the decision and filed a request on the 19th to suspend the preliminary injunction. The daily fine imposed on the Civil Police Union has already been increased from R$ 50 to R$ 100,000.
According to Sérgio do Vale, Sinpol failed to comply with what had been agreed upon at the meeting mediated by the State Public Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday, the 18th, when, according to Vale, the Protocol of Intentions that would be presented to the category at an assembly was jointly constructed with the union.
"They started treating the letter of intent, which they built together, as if it were a government proposal. Then they brought another proposal, completely different. Is that dialogue?" asks Sérgio do Vale.
Instead of submitting what had been agreed upon at the meeting, Sinpol, according to the prosecutor, drafted a different proposal that accepted the salary realignment in 2016, as proposed by the government, but with the anticipation of the payment for 2015 through the issuance of state government bonds at a partner bank.
"At that time there was no discussion of retroactive payments, especially since a new law was being proposed. None of that was addressed. So this is not a counter-proposal, but a new proposal," the prosecutor argued.
'Marcelo doesn't have trustworthy people on his side'
The president of the Civil Police Union (Sinpol), Moisemar Marinho, did not hold back in his criticism of the government for the lack of progress in negotiations with the category. This Saturday, the 21st, Marinho stated, through Sinpol's communications office, that "there is widespread chaos in the government."
According to the union, at the meeting mediated by the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Memorandum of Understanding stipulated a deadline for the state to comply with the Fiscal Responsibility Law and the subsequent inclusion of the police officers' achievement, and was allegedly endorsed by the Secretaries of Security, César Simoni, and Social Communication, Rogério Silva, as well as by the Attorney General himself, Sérgio do Vale. However, the Secretary of Administration, Geferson Oliveira, and the Chief Secretary of the Civil House, Télio Leão Ayres, stated that they were unaware of this government intention.
"It seems as if the secretaries themselves don't talk to each other or that they are enemies within the government. They are not treating the civil police officers with respect. Unfortunately, it seems that Governor Marcelo Miranda doesn't have trustworthy people on his side," Moisemar Marinho exclaimed.
Resignation for just cause
The strike will reach one month next Wednesday, the 25th. If they do not return to work, they risk being dismissed for just cause, if the courts determine that it constitutes abandonment of public service.
Despite the risks, the civil police officers say they will not end the strike without achieving a salary readjustment for the category and guarantee that they are not afraid that the Government will argue "abandonment of post". "We will not return, the strike is for an indefinite period and until the Government presents a concrete proposal to us, we will not return," said Marinho.
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