Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement on the political situation in Brazil by the Central of the Workers of Brazil (CTB), a Brazilian class-struggle union federation that is part of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). Political Resolution of the CTB National Council

Held in Sao Paolo, on April 8, 2016, the political Council of the Central of Male and Female workers of Brazil – CTB, after assessing the conjuncture, approved the following resolution:

1-There is currently underway in the country, an impeachment process, without any legal grounds, a coup d ‘ état that insults the democratic state of law and threats the national sovereignty, the integration process of Latin America and the Caribbean and its institutions (like the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States -CELAC and the Union of South American Nations – UNASUR) as well as social rights;

2-Behind the coup, powerful interests associated with imperialism act as dark forces or openly, led by the US, and the great national bourgeoisie. They explore and deepen the economic crisis and instrumentalize sectors of the Judiciary Power, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Federal Police and the media monopolies led by Globo broadcasting network, which make up for the pro coup press party. They are the same social forces that supported the 1964 military coup.

3-The working class is the main target of the putschists, whose agenda is to prioritize a labor reform in order to end with the labor code, to impose widespread outsourcing, to reverse the hardly conquered achievements of the recent years, to privatize Petrobras, to deliver the pre-salt deposit to foreign capital, to rip the 1988 citizen Constitution, to criminalize social movements and to trample democratic freedoms, installing a dictatorship.

4-Signs of the future that awaits us, if the ongoing coup were to triumph, can be perceived in the truculent and illegal actions of the military police of the states governed by right wing parties such as in Sao Paulo state governed by Alckim, with attacks against social movements,headquarters of leftist parties and student organizations as well as the killing of farmworkers in Paraíba and Paraná states. The CTB expresses its solidarity with the families of the killed comrades, and demands the most rigorous investigation of these crimes and punishment of those responsible and reiterates its full and active support for the land reform and participation in the national campaign to be held under this banner on May 19th.

5-Given the seriousness of the political, economic and institutional crisis which disturbs the nation, the political Council guides the CTB state departments and its militancy to realize – in alliance with other organizations that make up the Brazilian Popular Front and People without Fear movement -a huge day of action against the coup, in defense of democracy, sovereignty and social rights. It’s time for total mobilization to raise the consciousness of the working class about what is at stake in the political struggle and to unmask the pro coup media.

6-Only through the construction of a broad front in Congress and the popular mobilization will the coup be interrupted and stopped and therefore create the conditions for the resumption of the economic growth and employment. The CTB must strengthen the protest camp against the coup and for democracy that will start in Brasilia from April 10th, the demonstrations called for the days April 11th and 15th and national night watch on April 17th, day of the impeachment vote by the plenary of the Lower House.

São Paulo, April 8, 2016

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