2023-11-28 16:40:07
On November 28, São Paulo for against the privatizations of the Tarcísio government. The reinstatement of the eight dismissed metro workers is also part of the demands.
By: Deyvis Barros
Governor Tarcísio Freitas (Republicans) continues with his plan to sell São Paulo so that big businessmen can profit from the provision of public services, even if this causes disasters, such as the blackout sponsored by the private energy company Enel, which left more than two million people without electricity in recent weeks.
The governor’s privatization rage is so great that he seeks to complete the sale of segurasp (state sanitation company) until the end of this year. Along with this, he hired million-dollar studies to privatize the Metro and the CPTM (train company).
Even last week, Tarcísio announced that he will build 33 state schools with private administration. As if a curriculum increasingly focused on the needs of the market were not enough, the governor wants to hand over the management of Education directly to businessmen.
And it will make it possible using the Partnership mechanism [Asociaciones] Public Private (PPP), created by the first Lula government, in 2004, and with federal resources from the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).
Popular plebiscite: the working people of São Paulo are against privatizations
The popular plebiscite promoted by the unions, with the support of various movements, parties and union centers, such as the PSTU and the CSP-Conlutas, collected around 897,000 votes. 99.9% of them voted against privatizations.
The result is a demonstration that the population has already experienced private services and is against the sale of public companies.
It couldn’t be different. Since the privatization of lines 8 and 9 of the CPTM, failures, breakdowns and derailments are recurrent. The Enel blackout was the most serious case of a routine of disorders that the population suffers with the private administration of energy, especially in the peripheries.
November 28: a new unified strike against privatizations is coming
On October 3, the Metro, train and sanitation strike paralyzed São Paulo and, according to a survey carried out by the UOL portal, had the support of 84% of the population.
The strength of the first strike and the popular plebiscite against privatizations, as well as the acceleration of Tarcísio’s privatization project, led even more unions and movements to the construction of a second strike, on November 28, including teachers.
Now, the strike call also incorporated the demand for reinstatement of the eight subway workers fired for fighting against the government’s attacks.
Centers, movements and parties need to unify and promote the fight
A plan of struggle, which combines strikes with the plebiscite and popular mobilizations against privatizations, can defeat Tarcísio’s privatization plan. But, to achieve this, it is necessary to unify this fight. The large union centers need to mobilize their bases and call a strike against privatizations and for the re-nationalization of privatized companies.
It is also necessary that the leaderships of the parties that are formally against privatization join the fight without hesitation. It is unacceptable, for example, that public figures such as Guilherme Boulos (PSOL), concerned about the electoral impact of his candidacy for mayor of São Paulo, do not put all their influence at the service of building the strike.
Program: Against all privatizations! Renationalization of privatized companies!
Private services imply higher rates and poorer quality, since they only serve the profits of businessmen.
However, our fight cannot be limited to preventing ongoing privatizations. Sabesp, today, for example, is no longer a 100% state company. In fact, the São Paulo government only owns 50.3% of the shares. The rest is traded on the São Paulo and New York stock exchanges.
It is this bourgeoisie, national or foreign, that lives off speculation and profits from the worsening of services and the lack of water in the periphery. Therefore, today it is necessary to incorporate the fight so that companies and public services are 100% state-owned.
It is also necessary to re-statize the energy distribution. The request from Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) to cancel the Enel contract is absolutely insufficient and demagogic. Nunes is also responsible for the blackout. But he is not the only one.
In the fight against privatizations it is necessary to confront Lula’s government
The National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), controlled by the Federal Government, is responsible for supervising and even canceling the contracts of the companies that manage this service. Lula needs to revoke Enel’s contract and nationalize it immediately, and the same should happen with Eletrobrás, privatized under the Bolsonaro government.
The fight against privatizations still needs to confront the Lula government’s PPP law and the use by the federal government of BNDES resources to finance privatizations, as is now being done with the concession of schools in São Paulo and with the construction of a private prison in Río Grande do Sul.
No less important is that we need to fight to hand control of companies and public services into the hands of workers and users of services. The current form of administration, in which decisions are made by businessmen, speculators or political patrons, only serves their profits. An administration made up of those who use and work is the only way to satisfy the interests of those who need the services.
Interview: Tarcísio fired eight subway workers to try to intimidate the movement. We demand refund now!
After the strike on October 3, Tarcísio’s government decided to hit the sectors that were at the forefront of the fight against privatization and fired eight metro workers, in addition to suspending another. Among those dismissed are four union directors, including the current vice president, Narciso Soares, and a former president, Altino Prazeres, both PSTU activists.
It is not the first time this happens. During the category’s strike in 2014, the then governor Geraldo Alckmin (today in the PSB and vice president of the Lula government) fired 42 metro workers. With much struggle, these workers were reinstated.
Today, the fight against Tarcísio’s privatizations is combined with the fight for the readmission of those who resist them. Opinion He interviewed the vice president of the Metroviarios Union and one of those fired, Narciso Soares.
First of all, all our solidarity in the face of persecution and dismissal by the Tarcísio government. You, the other seven fired subway workers and the union are at the forefront of the fight against privatization. What relationship do you see between the layoffs and this fight?
Thank you for your solidarity. We have received a lot of support from social movements and the population. Both in relation to the fight against privatization and for readmission.
The plebiscite against privatizations showed that the population is radically against them. We are aware of the failures and derailments on lines 8 and 9 of the CPTM (trains). Now, Enel is leaving a multitude without electricity.
The strike was one more step to show that privatization is a disgrace and the population supported our movement, which is why Tarcísio persecuted those of us who were at the forefront of this fight and preparing his next steps. The objective is to try to scare and stop the progress of the fight against privatization. But not only will we not be scared but we will strengthen the strike.
Tarcísio has already sent a project to the Legislative Assembly to privatize segurasp. He intends to privatize it even this year, in the midst of the chaos of the electricity blackout. Many workers fear that the privatization of sanitation and water will have the same effect as the privatization of energy. You. Do you think this risk exists?
Of course. The privatization of Sabesp, if carried out, will bring great harm to the population. Where water and sanitation have already been privatized, such as in Rio de Janeiro, the service has become much worse and there are times when water reaches taps with almost the same quality as wastewater. The price of the fare has also increased a lot.
In Bahia, sanitation was privatized by the PT government in the State and, today, the social rate for the low-income population costs R$ 70.00. While in São Paulo, where segurasp is still state-owned, the value is R$ 20.00. This statement that privatization will bring improvements for the people is not proven in reality.
That is why we will continue fighting against all privatizations. Both those of Tarcísio, in São Paulo, and those that Lula is doing at the national level.
The strike planned for November 28 against privatizations, and now also for the reinstatement of the dismissed Metro workers, involves, in addition to the Metro, CPTM and seguras workers, other sectors such as teachers. How is the construction of this strike at the bases and with the leadership?
The 28th will be an important day of struggle, even bigger than October 3rd. Metro, railway and sanitation workers will stop, and other sectors will join, such as teachers. Some factories are indicating stoppages.
We think that the leadership of the large union centers should put more weight in this fight and that would be essential to put even more pressure on the Tarcísio government. And also to nationalize the fight against privatizations and adjustments in the States. The location of most of these centers within Lula’s government prevents them from waging a coherent fight against privatizations.
For our part, we will continue mobilizing workers in the workplace and seeking to build this unitary process, so that we can stop all unions on the 28th, expand this unity to more unions, demanding that the centers mobilize their bases, both in São Paulo and at the national level, against privatizations and adjustments.
Article published in www.opiniaosocialista.com.br22/11/2023.-
Translation: Natalia Estrada.
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