Resolutions of International Meeting of Transport Workers Against Privatization In Sao Paulo International Meeting of Transport Workers Against Privatization São Paulo, July 3rd 2016

Resolutions of International Meeting of Transport Workers Against Privatization In Sao Paulo
International Meeting of Transport Workers Against Privatization São Paulo, July 3rd 2016

The International Meeting of Transport Workers Against Privatization held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in July 1-3 2016 with the presence of delegations from the United Kingdom, Chile, Botswana, Spain, Greece, Portugal, United States of America, Lebanon, Namibia, France, Senegal, Morocco, Mali, Tunisia, Argentina, India, Syria,Kashmir, and Brazilian states such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul , Piauí , Ceará, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco and Distrito Federal, decides:
1) International Day of Action against Privatization and the for the Readmission of Unfairly Dismissed Workers to be held in September for the announcement of the privatization of Sao Paulo metro line 5. Another action against privatization will be taken in August 1 due to the opening of the Olympic Games.
2) MANIFESTO
Stop Privatization! Public Transportation is a Right!
All means of public transport, both passengers and freight – rail, road, air and sea – are under attack across the world. Privatizations, Public-Private Partnership, Concessions, Outsourcing, Restructuring and Deregulation are all carried out by governments to meet the interests of big corporations, shareholders and bankers.
Inspired by the IMF, the World Bank and other global capitalist institutions, they carry out privatizations that brings casualization of labor, less wages, less jobs, less labor and social rights, more fares and less safety for both human beings and environment. Racism, Sexism, Homophobia and Xenophobia are their weapons to divide us. On top of police brutality and criminalization of all social struggles, repressive measures include “essential service” legal restrictions to prevent the right to strike. They want to give to the private sector the railways, roads, ports, airports and public transport companies that are strategic to the sovereignty of the peoples.
Labor must stand together to carry out the struggles in workplaces, companies and in each and every country to defend of the interests of the working and popular classes. Transport, as Healthcare, Education and Sanitation, are basic living conditions that should not be dealt with as commodities and source of profit.
It is necessary to increase the workforce, wages and labor rights for all transport workers, subcontracted or not, in order to have good, safe, affordable public transport free of sexual harassment.
Our weapons to fight back are: to raise workers and popular consciousness together with international solidarity to strengthen the struggle against privatization, and for a good and affordable public transport.
Down With Privatization and Subcontracting!
Labor and People’s Rights Forward!
Stop the Criminalization of Labor and Social Movements! For the Right to Strike! Longlive Workers’ Struggles!
International Solidarity Forever!
International Meeting of Transport Workers Against Privatization São Paulo, July 3rd 2016
3) The following motions passed:
The Struggle for Democratic Rights at Work is a World-Wide Struggle
One of our international delegates from the United States, Erek Slater, was illegaly fired from his 10 year job as a driver for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). He was fired for his union activity. Erek is an elected union steward and Executive Board member of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Local 241. This is a direct attack on the union and workers ́ movement.
The workers in attendance of the International Transit Workers Conference Against Privatization in Sao Paulo, Brazil (July 1-3, 2016) call for the immediate re-hiring of Erek and all other injustly fired workers of the Chicago Transit Authority.
We extended international solidarity to the 190,000 transit-worker families of the Amalgamated Transit Union and to all other workers in North America.
Motion of Support to the British Workers
Presented by the US delegation
We stand with the British workers who have rejected the EU. The EU and UK governments have implemented privatization, deregulation and attacks on union collective bargaining and negotiation rights.
We believe that all European workers need to unite against these capitalist governments that are implementing these attacks.
We support the workers fighting these anti-working class trade agreements on every continent and the fight for the defense of all public services.
Motion of Solidarity with Indian Railway Workers
On 11th of July, 3.5 million workers employed by the Indian Central Government will go on strike.This will be a historic moment as for the first time in nearly 40 years the workers of the Indian railwill join in an indefinite strike ! It must be remembered, that the last time the workers of the Indianrail went on strike, the whole country was brought to a standstill and the
2
Central Government had to declare a state of emergency to reign in on them. Once again,
history has brought us to a situation where the workers and the capitalists are face to face.
While there are many reasons behind this strike, the most pressing issues which provoked such anaction from the workers was the way the 7th Pay Commission was handled. The 7th Pay Commission was tasked with looking into the pay of the Central Government employees in its various departments. Much was hoped from the Pay Commission, that legitimate grievances of the workers would be addressed and a substantial pay rise would be won. Nothing of the sort happened ! First off, the government delayed its approval of the report by many months, which meant no payrise materialized. Secondly, when the report was prepared it was found that the pay increase was thel owest among all the pay commissions! The computation which the government used is opposed by all the unions because it is arbitrary, and ignores the rise in cost of living. Secondly, the government delayed
implementing the pay commission recommendation by a full 6 months !
During this entire period the workers were denied the benefits from the pay commission. Thirdly, as if it wasn't enough that the government sat on the report and gave a paltry pay raise, it continued its attack onpensions. There was perhaps only one and only one positive recommendation made by the 7th CPC.That was to give some relief in the pension entitlement of the past pensioners. The Government has now proposed to reject that recommendation on very flimsy formal grounds. The General Secretary of the Southern Railway Workers Union was interviewed by the Times ofIndia recently where he explained, "Two of the most significant
issues that have triggered the strike are the inordinate delay in taking decisions on the Pay
Commission recommendations and refusal of the government to bring back the old statutory defined benefit scheme of pension to all employees in place of the contributory pension scheme...”. These two issues have aroused the greatest anger among the workers because these two issues cut directly into their daily lives. As of now 7 Central Government unions,
chiefly in post, defence and railway have declared theirintention to strike on the 11th of July.
All of these sectors form critical sectors on which the country depends. This strike, if done successfully would bring the country to a standstill, it also exposes the workers to a great danger to the workers as the government will most definitely move to crush thestrike. The only way we can challenge the government successfully, is if we get solidarity. If the workers of the world give their support the workers in India can fight boldly and bravely. The government
would be put in the back foot.
Solidarity to the Indian Railway Workers!
Workers of the world unite ! Workers United will Never be defeated !
Motion in Support with French Workers' Struggle
Workers at the International Meeting of Transport Workers Against Privatization stand with the struggle of French workers against the labor reform proposed by the government.
France is united to fight against this labor reform that removes rights conquered by the workers, imposes a flexible legislation and deteriorated working conditions.
All solidarity with this struggle! Unity against this labor reform !
3
4) Other motions passed:
- Motion in support with the struggle of the National Union of Aeronauts against the "opening the sky" for international companies bill.
- Motion in solidarity with the Brazilian Black Women Writers
- Against the criminalization of social struggles! Against the eviction of SINTUFF (local union of Rio de Janeiro Federal University employees)