Brazil strikes shake loose liberal' strategy

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Lula addressing Sao Paolo mass meeting The month-long strike by over 100,000 metalworkers in the Sao Bernardo and Santo Andre industrial suburbs of Sao Paulò has reduced the Figueiredo regime's strategy for liberalisation' (abertura) to tatters, reinforced the growing confidence and strength of the Brazilian industrial proletariat and forced the military to revert to its "hard line" • The strike began late in March in demand of a 15% wago rise against the employers' offer of 5%-intlation for the first quarter of 1980 was running at 18% The employers-the most important of which are the automobile multinationals VW. General Motors, Ford and Fiat, retused to make an offer above the limits imposed by the regime.

These are transparently designed to make the working class pay for Brazil's deepening economic crisis which has resulted in 90% inflation over the tast twelve months. one of the highest levels of indebtedness in the world and unemployment of over 20%.

This strike by the metalworkers follows those of 1978 and 1979 as a direct challenge not simply to the economic offensive but. also to the political attack on the organisations of the working class.

In 1979 the metalworkers" strike was declared illegal but nothing was done to arrest. Luis Inacio da Silva (Lula). the union leader.

A week ago Lula, along with other "trouble makers" .. Was arrested, food supplies for the strikers intercepted, assembly places denied to them and a full-scale military operation launched to break the stoppage.

The union loaders have been charged under article 36 of the national sccurity law, with "incitement to collective disobedience of the law".

The penalty can be up to 12 ycars' imprisonment.

The arrests were apparently carried out without President Figueiredo's knowledge, and reflect the growing independence and impatience of the "hardliners" in the armed forces as well as that of imperialist capital with the regime's policy of "liberalisation"

Figueiredo had no choice but to acquiesce in the action which will, no doubt, herald i renewed offensive against the workers.

Strengthened

" However, Lula's arrest has strengthened the resolve to continue the strike which, in any case, had been supported to the degree that it had proved unnecessary to post picket lines.

Every effort will be made to relieve Lula of his union post and replace him with a stooge ('pelego') as has occurred in several other unions in the last weeks.

Since Brazilian labour laws were directly modelled on those of Mussolini and have remained almost totally unaltered for over 40 years this will prove no problem -on paper.

However, Lula personified a challenge to the "pelegos that has broad backing amongst workers and taken an organisational form in the Oposicao Sindical' (trade union opposition), a rank and file movement centred in Sao Bernardo.

This movement is strongest amongst the car and metal workers but it is beginning • to expand, one factor in this being the militancy of workers, who are fired once they have worked three years in the plant and become as a result eligible for the top wage rates.

Dock strike

A further indication of the spread of militancy was last week's victory of the strike by workers in the docks of Santos.

Politically, the Oposicao Sindical is manifestly social democratic and syndicalist.

It has increasingly drawn support from the liberal church hierarchy and is establishing links with the Brazilian Labour Party, although in the fluid and: confused political climate resulting from the weakening of the dictatorship allegiances are constantly in flux.

What, above all else, is clear is that the vanguard of. the Brazilian proletariat has through. four massive strikes in successive years broken a decade of retreat and quiescence.

It is growing in militancy but lacks political leadership and remains vulnerable to the forces of the dictatorship which it must destroy.