The head of Brazil’s Presidential Civilian Advisory Staff, Minister José Dirceu, took part in the International Labor Day commemorations held by the Central Workers’ Union (CUT) in São Paulo, May 1st.
According to Dirceu, there are motives to commemorate the date, but the struggle must be maintained.
“The country has programs to combat poverty, it has social policies, it has never exported so much, nor has it ever created so many jobs, but I think that there are many reasons to make a tally and continue the struggle,” he affirmed.
The Minister said that the country needs more jobs, better salaries, and improved working conditions.
“Brazil still has an unemployment rate of over 9%, and it would be ideal to cut this in half. We must work hard to lower unemployment,” the Minister affirmed.
In Dirceu’s view, a shortened workweek without salary cuts, one of CUT’s banners during the commemorations, represents a way to reduce unemployment and a solution adopted in various countries.
Nevertheless, he believes that the matter should be discussed in greater depth by workers, businesspeople, and the government.
Dirceu claims that the greatest triumph of the union movement in these two years of Lula’s Administration is the recovery of employment growth and the increase in income.
Agência Brasil
