More services paralyzed

Naira Trindade_ Brasília247 - Since the second month of Governor Agnelo Queiroz's administration, at least 13 strikes have taken place in the Federal District. This Thursday (03) it was the employees of the Brasília Energy Company (CEB) and Novacap who went on strike. In a meeting held in front of the Buriti Palace, the civil police officers decided to continue with the suspended services until Thursday of next week. The construction workers at the National Stadium – who are negotiating with the private consortium Brasília 2014 – have also been on strike since last week. "The delays in the dates for submitting career restructuring proposals are causing the government to lose credibility with public employees," summarizes the president of the Unified Workers' Central of the Federal District (CUT-DF), José Eudes de Oliveira Castro. He, who belongs to the PT, the governor's party, advocates for the development of long-term career plans to prevent the numerous worker demonstrations from harming the residents of Brasília. Since the beginning of the year, Eudes estimates that at least one million residents of Brasília have suffered from the lack of essential services. "Dialogue alone is not enough; the government needs to develop long-term proposals to be able to implement them," he says. "Today the government fails to fulfill its promises because it develops them too quickly and without efficient planning." This Thursday, the 1,5 employees of Novacap decided to paralyze work for 24 hours. According to Francisco Alves, president of the Union of Public Servants and Employees of the Government of the Federal District (Sindser), there is no way to prevent operational services from being disrupted during the strike. The category demands the implementation of a Job, Career and Salary Plan (PCCS), salary readjustment, review of the value of meal vouchers, in addition to the holding of a public competition. A new assembly on Friday (4) should decide whether the category will continue on strike. Another strike could leave residents of Brasília in the dark. CEB employees went on strike indefinitely today. The category demands an improvement in the salary bonus, equal salary adjustments for all career levels, and the election of a current employee to the company's management. Today, the board of directors is composed of those appointed by the governor. The Union of Urban Workers of the Federal District (Stiu) rejected the proposals for a 7,4% salary increase, a bonus of R$2, and an extra food voucher worth R$700. The director of Stiu, Jeová Pereira de Oliveira, claimed that the proposals are insufficient for the current situation of the company's workers. The engineering director of CEB, Mauro Martinelli, who is a former union director, reinforces that although it is not the best proposal, it is the one that fits within the company's budget. In an assembly held at 15 pm this Thursday, the civil police officers decided to continue the strike, which was declared on the 28th after two 72-hour work stoppages. The group has been demanding, since April, the fulfillment of an agreement signed between the corporation and the government that guarantees an increase in personnel, a health plan, and inflation adjustment. Victor Russomano Junior, a professor of labor law at the University of Brasília, advocates for better negotiations to avoid this extreme situation. "Even when a strike affects the interests of the population, it is permissible to exercise it because it constitutes a legally and constitutionally sound right, but the legislation establishes the maintenance of essential services to avoid irreparable harm to the population, and there is a need to intensify negotiations to try to prevent so many strikes," he says. The strikes are a repeat of what occurred between 1995 and 1998, when Cristovam Buarque, who was from the PT (Workers' Party), governed the Federal District. Last month, teachers demanded compliance with agreements made in March. The mobilization extracted promises from the GDF (Government of the Federal District) such as the return of democratic management, restructuring of the career plan, and implementation of the health plan, but nothing came to fruition, according to representatives of the Teachers' Union (Sinpro). Subway workers, bus drivers, civil police officers, employees of the Department of Highways, health workers, and even information technology professionals have already gone on strike this year. Brasília247 tried to contact the Secretary of Public Administration, Wilmar Lacerda, regarding the negotiations and fulfillment of the agreements, but neither he nor his press office answered the calls.