Riot police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse masked protesters in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, as demonstrations continued throughout Brazil. Unions are demanding better work conditions and tougher government measures to tackle inflation.
Tens of thousands of union members marched throughout the
country, blocking roads and grinding traffic to a crawl in dozens
of cities.
Bus drivers, metal workers and other unionized workers took to
the streets as part of a one-day strike. Labor leaders are
pushing for workers’ rights to take center stage in the national
debate which emerged after huge protests rocked the country last
month, Reuters reported.
Brazil’s unions, which represent around one-tenth of the
country’s workforce, appear to be trying to give the protests
direction while they fight for political and social goals.
Union strikers and other demonstrators partially or completely
blocked 40 interstate and intercity highways across 14 states
during Thursday’s “Day of
Struggle,” AP reported. Protesters also set tires ablaze
on a freeway outside of Rio.
In the coastal city of Santos, dock workers blocked trucks from
entering Latin America’s biggest port. Access to ports was
reported to be blocked in another six states.
Elsewhere, some 5,000 protesters rallied through Sao Paulo’s
sprawling Avenida Paulista. Demonstrators carried signs and
banners demanding shorter work weeks, improved working
conditions, and affordable housing options.
Protesters clashed with police in Rio after police used water
cannon to disperse union members occupying the steps to city
hall. Ten people were arrested, while a police officer was
reported to be wounded in the violence.
Earlier Thursday, a group of protesters near Rio’s municipal
theater threw sticks and stones at officers. A Molotov cocktail
was thrown at police who then responded by firing tear gas, Folha
de S.Paulo reported.
Teachers at both public and private schools joined Thursday’s
strike, resulting in closed schools in several cities. Some
hospitals were reported to be operating with skeleton crews.
Subway, bus, and train workers’ decision not to strike
“weakened the Day of
Struggle,” Agencia Estado quoted secretary general of
Union Force, Joao Carlos Goncalves, as saying.
“But nevertheless we have
mobilized the workers and called attention to our demands, which
was what we wanted to achieve,” Goncalves said.
Since mass demonstrations began across the country, Brazilian
President Dilma Rousseff has sought to defuse the situation with
several new policy proposals. One of his plans includes an
investment of $23 billion on public transportation projects - a
major source of contention in cities like Sao Paulo.
Brazil’s government has also responded by pledging to funnel oil
wealth into education and medical services, including importing
thousands of doctors from abroad to work in underserved regions
of the country.