UFRJ Application School suspends activities.

Vinícius Lisboa – Reporter for Agência Brasil

The Colégio de Aplicação of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (CAp-UFRJ) suspended classes from today (13) due to the interruption of cleaning services by outsourced employees, who are not receiving salaries and benefits. At the Federal Fluminense University, in Niterói, the lack of payment led to the closure of the university restaurant "to preserve sanitary conditions".

In a statement, the school's administration described the situation as chaotic. "The material result of the chaotic scenario we are experiencing is a great deal of accumulated dirt and unsanitary conditions. Not to mention the coexistence with disrespect for human dignity through the oppression and exploitation of workers," stated the general administration, which announced the strike in order "not to condone the violation of labor rights nor to tolerate the dirt, unsanitary conditions, and insecurity."

According to the statement, only third-year high school students continue to have classes at the school, which also offers elementary education. Payment problems had already caused a delay in the start of the school year for students in grades 1 through 9 of elementary school and for those in the first and second years of high school. While third-year classes began on February 26, first and second-year classes started on March 5. Elementary school, in turn, resumed activities on March 16.

Parents of students at CAp-UFRJ even volunteered to participate in a community effort at the school and organize a donation of food supplies for the families of outsourced employees, said Patrícia Boueri, mother of a 4th-grade elementary school student. Besides worrying about covering the school year's curriculum, parents of younger children also have to improvise to care for them on days without classes. "A teenager, a high school student can stay alone and get through the day without needing a watchful eye. For younger children, it's more complicated," the mother points out.

The Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences at UFRJ (IFCS) was another campus that suspended classes due to problems with outsourced services. On its website, the institute reports that the decision was taken yesterday (12) unanimously until the services are "fully restored". On Monday (11), the School of Communication and the Faculty of Law took the same measure.

Robson de Araújo, 21, is one of the law students who missed classes this week. For him, the worst part isn't the delay in the schedule, but knowing that several employees haven't been paid. "I'm much more worried about the outsourced workers, who haven't been paid for so long." He says the cleaning situation last week was "terrible" due to the service stoppage. "All the bathrooms were dirty," he said.

In a statement published on the UFRJ website, Rector Carlos Levi affirms that the university is taking operational measures to minimize the effects of the strike in cleaning services at some units, which led to the organization of cleaning blitzes in the most critical areas. According to the statement, the cleaning was carried out yesterday at CAp and will be extended to other units.

The UFRJ's statement also affirms that legal and administrative measures will be taken, as appropriate in each case, to punish any company that violates contractual clauses and provisions of the legislation.

The Federal Fluminense University (UFF) published a statement on its website yesterday afternoon expressing solidarity with the outsourced workers and informing that it had secured the release of part of the funds. The university states that it is taking the necessary administrative steps to transfer the funds to the companies, aiming for immediate payment to the outsourced workers. In the statement, UFF also laments the repeated delays. "[The delay in payment] raises doubts about the university's ability to function satisfactorily, fuels insecurity, and in no way favors the continuation of work at a good level."

Luís Pedro Rodrigues, a 22-year-old journalism student at UFF, used to eat at the university cafeteria. He says that before it closed, the restaurant on the Gragoatá Campus had long lines because of the closure of the Boa Viagem Campus unit. Because of this, the student started eating at home, despite the higher cost. "It's cheaper to eat at the cafeteria than to buy and cook my own food at home. For now, it's still possible to do that."

In a meeting held yesterday with the Full Council of the National Association of Directors of Federal Institutions of Higher Education (Andifes), the Minister of Education, Renato Janine Ribeiro, stated that there will be no cuts in the operating costs of universities and that, since March, the federal government has been transferring one-twelfth of the planned budget to the institutions. Despite this, Janine Ribeiro said that "this will be the first administration with fewer resources" and asked faculty members to establish priorities and plans to maximize the benefits that can be obtained with what has already been invested.