Sao Paulo: Brazilian unions on Friday led the nation's first general strike in over two decades to protest President Michel Temer's austerity measures, hitting public transport and closing schools, factories, banks and other businesses in every state.
Police clashed with demonstrators in several cities, firing tear gas in efforts to clear roadways blocked by burning barricades. Protesters also obstructed the entrances of airports and metro stations.
"It is important for us to send a message to the government that the country is paying attention to what they are doing, taking away workers' rights," said Marco Clemente, head of the 4000-strong radio and TV workers union in Brasilia as he led a picket line outside the headquarters of state broadcaster EBC.
Brazil's last general strike took place in 1996, in protests over privatisations and labour reforms under former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
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Government spokesman Marcio de Freitas said the strike was strategically concentrated in public transportation so that even people who might want to go to work could not, and otherwise it appeared "weak."
He said there was "no turning back" from reforms.
Analysts and government officials said the strike would have little impact on Temer's efforts to push economic reforms through Congress, that is widely expected to approve them given the president's continued support among legislators.
Temer's efforts to pass pension and labour reforms have deeply angered many Brazilians. Temer has proposed a minimum age for retirement, which would compel many employees to work longer to receive a pension and reduce payouts.
The government argues that economic reforms are needed to pull Brazil out of its worst recession on record, cut a huge budget deficit, reduce record unemployment and modernise the economy.
The strike had a large impact on auto production in Sao Paulo, which concentrates the bulk of the industry in Brazil. General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler all halted production, according to company officials, unions and market analysts. Fiat Chrysler, the No.1 car seller Brazil, said it was operating normally.
Union officials said most workers at state-run oil producer Petrobras joined the strike, but the company said the stoppage had no significant impact on output. Iron ore miner Vale, a partner of BHP in some mines, said the strike did not affect its operations.
The 24-hour strike started after midnight on Friday, ahead of a long weekend with Labour Day on Monday. The streets of several major cities showed noticeably less traffic, and Globo TV reported strikes hitting all but one of Brazil's 26 states, as well as the Federal District.
In Brasilia, the capital, authorities boarded up windows of government buildings, fearing disturbances, which typically intensify after sundown.
Protests have frequently turned violent in the past four years amid political turmoil and corruption investigations that uncovered stunning levels of graft among politicians.
Nearly a third of Temer's cabinet and key congressional allies came under investigation in the scandal this month, dragging approval of his government as low as 10 per cent in the latest public survey.
Reuters
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