Students Block Main Traffic Artery in Brasília to Protest Against Welfare Reform

BRASÍLIA, BRAZIL – Students blocked the Esplanada dos Ministérios, in Brasília, on Friday morning, July 12th, to protest against the Social Welfare reform.

The demonstration, called by the National Students Union (UNE) and trade unions, eventually closed all lanes of the S1 highway, near the central bus terminal. By around 2 PM, traffic had been cleared.

The demonstrators gathered at the Honestino Guimarães National Museum at 10 AM and started marching towards the National Congress building. About one and a half hours after starting the march, protesters set fire to a shopping cart with tires.

The flames swallowed the cart, and a column of black smoke was formed in front of Congress. The fire department was deployed, and no one was hurt.  Because of the blockade of the S1, drivers were stalled in the main roads of the capital’s central area.

The UNE has been holding its 57th Congress in Brasília since Wednesday, July 10th, and it runs until Sunday, July 14th. During this time, concerts and demonstrations are planned.

On Friday, July 12th, Congress began its fourth day of consideration of the welfare reform. The deputies’ “marathon” started last Tuesday, July 9th.

On Wednesday night, July 10th, the Chamber of Deputies passed the basic text of the proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC), which amends the rules on retirement, by 379 votes to 131. To complete the voting, deputies have yet to consider amendments and riders put forward by political parties to try to change specific points in the text.

Regarded as one of the main challenges of the economic team to stabilize public accounts, the proposed Social Welfare reform establishes, among other points:

• The minimum age requirement for workers to retire: 65 for men and 62 for women;
• The minimum period for social welfare contributions: fifteen years for women and twenty years for men;
• Transitional rules for those already in the labor market.