This was how Brazilian trade unions described their current situation as they confront the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and President Jair Bolsonaro’s troubled governance.
In a “How are you?” webinar hosted by BWI, 27 trade union leaders, representing different BWI-affiliated unions in Brazil, met online to share their experiences and difficulties in confronting the COVID-19 crisis. Saúl Méndez, President of the BWI Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean and Secretary General of SUNTRACS-Panama, led the online conversations.
The trade unionists zeroed in on the failure of Bolsonaro’s authoritarian governance to contain COVID-19 and his administration’s attempt to conceal the true magnitude of the crisis to the public.
“We are facing a double pandemic. On one hand, the COVID-19 pandemic and its ill effects on the health, safety and employment of workers; and on the other, the neoliberal policies promoted by Bolsonaro,” said Claudio da Silva Gomes, President of CONTICOM-CUT.
Participants also shared their unions’ various initiatives to protect their members from the health crisis. Some of these efforts are their respective COVID-19 awareness and prevention campaigns, safe workers’ transportation, handwashing centers, negotiations with local governments and trade union cyber-activism.
Aside from trade unionists, Waldeli Melleiro from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES-Brazil) attended the event as a special guest.
Meanwhile, Méndez took the opportunity to warmly welcome Adalberto Galvão of SINTEPAV-BA, who fully recovered after being hospitalized a month ago due to COVID-19.