A major strike involving workers from multiple sectors is set to occur on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, in São Paulo.
Employees from the Metro, São Paulo Metropolitan Trains Company (CPTM), Sanitation Company (Sabesp), Fundação Casa, and those in the health and education sectors will join.
This strike, which was decided on November 22, is a response to Governor Tarcisio de Freitas’s privatization initiatives.
The strike is poised to affect nine metro lines. However, privately operated lines, such as Yellow Line 4, Lilac Line 5, Diamond Line 8, and Emerald Line 9, will remain unaffected.
These lines receive quadruple the funding of public ones.
In anticipation, the state government declared a flexible workday. Concurrently, the city government halted car rotation and increased bus services.
The metro workers’ union proposed free access to turnstiles during the strike, but the state government declined this suggestion.
Reacting to the strike, the São Paulo government sought legal intervention. The Regional Labor Court demanded that the Metro, CPTM, and Sabesp maintain 60% of their workforce.
This directive is for the strike’s 24-hour duration, a third such instance this year.
For compliance, the Metro must function with 80% capacity in peak hours and 60% otherwise, risking a R$700,000 ($142,857) daily fine.
The CPTM needs 85% staff during peak hours and 60% at other times, facing a R$600,000 ($122,449) fine.
Sabesp’s essential workers must uphold 70% of the workforce, with a R$30,000 ($6,122) daily fine for non-adherence.
Metro workers contend that this court order breaches their strike rights and jeopardizes public safety.
They are striving to reverse this mandate. In contrast, Governor Freitas warned of individual penalties for persisting strikers.