Lula defends decent work and fair wages in meeting with international union leaders

Last Wednesday (March 1) afternoon, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received a group of Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA-CSA) representatives at the Planalto Palace, in Brasília. TUCA is present in 21 countries, and represents over 55 million workers.

During the meeting, President Lula emphasized the Brazilian federal government’s commitment to defending labor’s rights in the face of challenging market conditions. According to Lula, all efforts are being made to restore everyone’s right to making a living from their work, with dignity, and to receiving just remuneration and a quality retirement system.

"It's up to the leaders to find a solution that allows the global working class to regain its standing — not just in its relationship with employers, but in social security gains that workers have been losing in many countries", said Lula. "In Brazil there is an immense majority of temporary workers who don’t even have a place at which to complain when something goes wrong".

In the regional context, the president defended that Latin American countries work alongside each other. "We’ll be capable of building a more unified Latin America if we understand that together we’re stronger, and that alone we’re extremely weak", he said. "I have a cause: to recover labor people’s right to living with their heads held high; to eating three times a day; to dreaming of going to university; to living a good life; and to doing whatever else they want to do", declared Lula. "We can create this world in Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador".

RULES OF THE GAME — The meeting was attended by José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica, ex-president of Uruguay and historic social activist. Mujica advocated uniting the forces of the Americas regardless of political stances. "This is a lesson we must learn. We must unite to defend our trade and our laws – and to help our workers. Only by coming together can we begin to change the rules of the game", he declared.

Brazil’s Minister of Labor and Employment, Luiz Marinho, highlighted the mission given by President Lula towards strengthening labor’s rights. "The president was vehement: we need stronger unions. We need to value negotiation and collective agreement. This is how we’ll create more jobs — and quality jobs. Not underemployment, or subcontracting, or precarious employment", he said. He also mentioned the challenge of resuming the policy of permanently increasing Brazil’s minimum wage. "So that it may be the base salary in Brazil, encouraging formalization and a collective working agreement", he added.

TUCA Secretary General Rafael Freire Neto highlighted that the organization will strive to advance in integrating a trade union movement in the Americas that serves the people whilst supporting intercontinental efforts towards democracy. "Today we must organize our workers whilst defending democracy. Placing work and employment at the center of the model and the State is very important", he highlighted.

The meeting was also attended by the Deputy General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Jordania Miguelina Ureña Lora; by TUCA Deputy President Francisca Jiménez Paniagua; by the Vice President of the American Federation of Labor, Fred Redmond; and by ITUC Deputy President Antonio de Lisboa Amancio Vale.