The Brazilian president leads intensive dialogues with the trade unions... a debate about the minimum wage and the accountability of Bolsonaro and his aides

Brasilia

- Brazilian President Lula da Silva called on representatives of unions and trade unions for a business meeting on January 18 to discuss issues of inflation that the country suffers from, and raising the minimum wage, in the presence of about 600 trade unionists from all over the country.

In the evening of the same day, Geraldo Alcmene, Vice-President, invited the same unions and federations to another working meeting dealing with the same issues.

The next day, the unions met again with the Minister of Labor, Luis Marinho, for the same reasons, and the unions themselves again met with the Minister of Social Security, Carlos Lupe.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva gives special attention to workers' issues due to his left-wing background (Reuters)

The significance of intensive meetings

Those successive meetings and their intensity with unions and trade unions within two days raised a question about the significance of these meetings and their dimensions. Their position against the privatization of the Brazilian oil company (Petrobras) and the abolition of special concessions, the vice president confirmed that the new president of Petrobras has not yet assumed his position, and for this reason the company is still managed by the directors appointed by the former president, Jair Bolsonaro.

Enrique continued his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, saying, "There were attempts by extreme right-wing groups to invade oil refineries, which is a symbolic invasion with implications, because it takes 10 days to stop oil refining to affect supply, yet the invasions of Bolsonaro's supporters did not succeed."

Meanwhile, Luis Pratis, head of the Confederation of Brazilian People's Trade Unions (a left-wing union opposed to Lula da Silva), says that he demanded, at the meeting, the confiscation of the assets of former President Bolsonaro, the investigation of his family, and the arrest of those involved in the events in Brasilia.

He added - in his interview with Al-Jazeera Net - that the meeting with the president showed a consensus among union leaders about the need to punish the leaders of the January 8 coup, and that the details of what happened will be investigated.

Lula da Silva's meeting with the pillars of his government to calm the situation in the country after the riots (Getty Images)

minimum wage

In his reading of the reasons for the president holding the meeting with the unions, Enrique believes that the president called for this meeting in order to launch a working group on the issue of minimum wages, and that in fact there was no discussion, but rather listening to the message that the new president wants to deliver, which is that the unions should practice Its pressure on the government to deliver its demands.

Another reason for this meeting - according to Diego Vitillo, head of the Metro Workers Union in Sao Paulo State - is President Lula da Silva's attempt to maintain dialogue with workers, as he does with businessmen, the army and other sectors, as the president leads a government of class reconciliation that he calls the "broad front government".

On the demands of the unions, Luis Pratis says that the increase in the minimum wage from 1302 to 1320 Brazilian reals (the dollar equals more than 5 reals) has not been confirmed, meaning that the increase will be less than 3 US dollars, and that a working group has been formed to study the issue of an increase Minimum wage, and this increase may be announced on the first of next May.

Pratis confirms that the issue was raised again in a meeting with the new Minister of Labor, which was held the following day, January 19, indicating that this increase is very small.

The Department of Economic Studies linked to the unions states that the minimum wage should be R$6,000, and that this is the proposal that its union is defending.

By asking him whether this small increase was enough?

Prates says, "This topic is under discussion. There are central federations that advocate an increase in the minimum wage to 1,340 Brazilian reals based on the high volume of inflation and GDP growth in the last period, and that the same adjustment criteria (inflation plus GDP growth) are applied every Public.

Bolsonaro Accountability

And about whether President Lula da Silva's dealings with the coup leaders and the military involved diplomatically resulted from his fear of their reactions, Vitilo answered Al Jazeera Net that "the president and the Federal Supreme Court did not take sufficient measures against the coup attempt."

And he details his speech by saying, "Former President Jair Bolsonaro is the leader of the coup attempt, yet no arrest warrant was issued against him, and no strict measures were taken against the financiers of the coup, and we believe in the Sao Paulo Metro Workers Union that the state should confiscate the assets of the financiers of the coup, and arrest Bolsonaro." ".