adminSAO PAULO. — Police in Sao Paulo fired tear gas yesterday to disperse protesters supporting a subway strike that has unleashed transport chaos three days before the Brazilian mega-city hosts the World Cup soccer kick-off.
A group of about 150 strikers and protesters set fire to piles of garbage to block a central avenue in the Brazilian business hub, prompting some two dozen riot police to fire stun grenades and then tear gas to disperse them.
But demonstrators regrouped with chants of “There won’t be a Cup, there will be a strike!”
The protest grew to about 1 000 people, who marched toward the state transport secretariat waving red banners, banging drums and blowing whistles and vuvuzelas.
The demonstrators are backing a five-day-old strike by subway workers, the latest in a wave of protests and strikes that has swept Brazil ahead of the World Cup and elections in October.
The subway strike has posed a major headache for commuters in Sao Paulo, a sprawling city of 20 million people, and threatens to disrupt transportation plans for Thursday’s opening match between Brazil and Croatia.
Police said they had detained 13 strikers for damaging a door and interfering with colleagues’ work at a central subway station where officers used tear gas and truncheons to disperse picketers last Thursday.
The metropolitan transport authority for its part said it had fired around 60 strikers for “just cause.”
The reasons for the dismissals included vandalism, blocking commuters and inciting people to jump turnstiles, transport secretary Jurandir Fernandes told newspaper Jornal da Manha.
Union president Altino Melo dos Prazeres condemned the move.
“That’s unacceptable,” he said. “It’s only going to aggravate the problem.”
The union has reduced an initial demand for a 16,5-percent wage hike to 12,2 percent, but the government is offering only 8,7 percent.
A labour court ruled on Sunday that the strike was illegal and imposed a US$222 000 fine for every day it continues, but the union voted to press on with the walkout.
Some 4,5 million people use the subway daily and it is the main transport link to Corinthians Arena, which will host the World Cup opening ceremony and match.
The subway has been partially operating, but trains were not arriving at the stadium.
Prazeres said he was confident the strikers had the upper hand.
“I don’t believe the government wants to thwart this Cup,” he said.
Rising inflation and a sluggish economy have tarnished the World Cup glow in Brazil, fueling the anger of strikers and protesters who say the US$11-billion budget would have been better spent on education, health and transport. The protests come as World Cup teams continue arriving in Brazil, with reigning champions Spain touching down on Sunday night.
France, Cameroon, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras and the United States are all arriving Monday — the latter three in Sao Paulo.
After that all but five of the tournament’s 32 teams will be on the ground. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and 12 heads of state and government from around the world are expected at Corinthians Arena on Thursday.
Around a billion people worldwide are expected to watch on TV.
Authorities are keen to resolve the latest labour dispute and avoid further embarrassment in a World Cup hit by delays and cost overruns even before it has started.
Corinthians Arena has become a symbol of the problems besetting the tournament.
At the weekend, workers were still racing to finish the 61 600-capacity stadium, which has been chronically behind schedule and over-budget. — AFP.
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