Strike action has previously affected development of stadia in Brasilia, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro and has returned to prominence in recent weeks with further action in Recife and Salvador. However, unions representing the workers in each of the 12 host cities are attempting to join forces to demand better conditions throughout the country. CUT leader Claudio da Silva Gomes said on Tuesday that workers are ready to go on strike as early as next month if construction companies don’t agree to give employees the same salaries and benefits regardless of which venue they are working on. “We have workers doing almost exactly the same kind of work but they are not earning the same salary or being entitled to the same benefits at the different venues. This doesn’t make sense,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “If they are doing the same work, they should be getting paid the same salary, regardless of which region they are working in.”
Gomes stated that pay discrepancies see workers in southern Brazil earn nearly twice as much as their counterparts in the northeast. The workers are seeking a unified starting monthly salary of about US$580, with the same basic benefits and improved overtime payment. With the staging of the World Cup a matter of national pride for Brazil, Gomes states that workers are prepared to use their key role in preparations as leverage in negotiations. He has called on the government to intervene. “The civil construction sector is struggling to find more workers, this is a good opportunity to reach a good deal which eventually can be extended to other construction sectors throughout the country,” Gomes said. “The construction of these stadiums is a priority for Brazil, the work cannot be stopped, and the government needs to get involved.”
FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke last month stated that Natal’s stadium is the only venue that is currently causing FIFA concern, but it will retain its place as one of the 12 World Cup venues. However, any further strike action is bound to greatly concern world football’s governing body, which is expected to confirm the host venues for the 2013 Confederations Cup in June.
Source: sportbusiness.com
