In response to attempts by the government of Minas Gerais to adhere to the Fiscal Recovery Regime (RRF) and to move forward with the privatization of state-owned companies in Minas Gerais, trade unions and popular movements are calling for a day of strikes and mobilizations for next Tuesday (29) .
In Belo Horizonte, on the date, a demonstration takes place, with concentration in the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais (ALMG), starting at 2 pm.
The proposal was built in a plenary session of representatives of civil service categories, which brought together 24 unions earlier this month, and endorsed in a meeting of the state campaign Fora Zema, on Tuesday (22).
A day earlier, on Monday (21), Romeu Zema (Novo) filed a proposal with the ALMG that provides for the end of the obligation, provided for in the Constitution of Minas Gerais, of holding a popular referendum for the sale of Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (Cemig), the Minas Gerais Sanitation Company (Copasa) and the Minas Gerais Gas Company (Gasmig).
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During the Fora Zema campaign meeting, the president of the Central Única dos Trabalhadores de Minas Gerais (CUT Minas) Jairo Nogueira evaluated that the governor’s proposal is authoritarian and could increase the dissatisfaction of the popular classes.
“The popular referendum is an achievement of the people of Minas Gerais. Removing this mechanism from the law is an authoritarian measure. It’s as if Zema were saying to the population ‘I don’t want your opinion. You don’t understand this matter’. It is dictatorial”, criticized Jairo.
Contrary to the wishes of Zema, who since his first term has sought to make it possible for companies to be handed over to the private sector, in August 2022, a survey carried out by Datatempo indicated that 65.3%, 59.6% and 53.9% are against the sale of Cemig, Copasa and Gasmig, respectively.
Zema’s insistence
At the same time, the ALMG has a request from the governor to unarchive the Bill (PL) 1202/2019, which deals with the adhesion of Minas Gerais to the RRF. With the proposal stalled in the Minas Gerais parliament since the last legislature, Romeu Zema sought approval from the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to join the regime.
Even with the authorization of the STF, the government wants the approval of the state deputies to have greater legal certainty regarding the measure. In addition to facilitating the privatization of state-owned companies, the regime is criticized for stripping the state of its autonomy, removing rights from public servants and limiting investments in essential services, such as health and education.
Given this scenario, the general coordinator of the Single Union of Education Workers of Minas Gerais (Sind-UTE/MG) Denise Romano points out that it is necessary to involve all sectors of society in facing the governor’s proposals.
“This fight needs to be from Minas Gerais society. The state government does not like people. We need to ensure that state-owned companies remain owned by the people of Minas Gerais. If we lose Cemig, for example, all of us who pay the electricity bill will be impacted”, explained the trade unionist, during the Fora Zema campaign meeting.
The general coordinator of the Intermunicipal Union of Workers in the Energy Industry of Minas Gerais (Sindieletro/MG) Emerson Andrada emphasizes that, in addition to the actions of the 29th of August, it is necessary to build a permanent agenda of struggles, which involves discussions in the ALMG commissions , public auctions, cultural activities and others.
“We need to establish immediate actions and plan for a public debate process with the population. We need to put pressure inside and outside the ALMG, so that the projects do not happen”, he highlighted, at the same meeting.
Source: BdF Minas Gerais
Editing: Larissa Costa
