Workers Go on Strike Against Privatizations in Sao Paulo

On Tuesday, Sao Paulo subway workers began a strike against Governor Tarcisio de Freitas' privatization plans.

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Since the early hours of the morning, some metropolitan train lines were completely paralyzed and others began to operate partially. The same thing happened with the public subway lines.

The strike has also the support of the workers of the public basic sanitation company SABESP, which is also in the process of privatization and is currently responsible for supplying water and collecting and treating sewage in the 375 municipalities of Sao Paulo state.

According to the Traffic Engineering Company (CET), traffic jams and slow traffic totaled 340 kilometers, a figure higher than the usual daily average at that time, which is 266 kilometers.

The text reads, "Important: Tarcisio de Freitas' idea of selling the state of Sao Paulo at a bargain price is causing chaos. The workers went on strike and the city was paralyzed. Do we stand in solidarity with them? Comment: Tarcisio is destroying Sao Paulo."

Sao Paulo Mayor's Office released the circulation of all private cars, which in the city have one day a week with restricted hours. It also increased the number and frequency of buses to make up for the lack of trains and the subway.

Governor De Freitas, who was infrastructure minister in the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), described the 24-hour strike as "illegal and abusive" and defended the privatization projects.

This is the third strike by public transport workers that the Sao Paulo governor has faced since he took office on January 1. The first strike took place in March, when the main rail transport union demanded better wages and new hires. The second strike occurred in October and was also motivated by the privatization process.