Explaining Brazil #297: Strike as an environmental risk

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva first made a name for himself as a union leader, calling mass strike movements of metallurgical workers during the 1970s. 

Five decades later, Lula is on the other side of the issue. His administration is being hampered by a growing number of strikes and go-slow operations from civil servants who demand better pay. His government, however, is limited by budgetary constraints and has broken off negotiations with some disgruntled groups.

This week, we discuss the risks of strikes for the administration — especially for the government’s environmental agenda.

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This episode used music from Uppbeat and Envato. License codes:  Tension by PeacockMusic (QWZTK5P), Aspire by Pryces (B6TUQLVYOWVKY02S), Tension by bdProductions (Q8J62KT), Hip Hop Life by Awesome_Music (YV4ZFXHR3K) 

Background reading on civil servants on strike:

• Our Brazil Daily newsletter explained the surge of strike calls made by federal civil servants.
• A strike at Brazil’s environmental protection agency means that critical post-fire cleanup operations are not being carried out, which could spell destruction once the dry season comes around again.
• The environmental workers’ strike is also putting the country’s power generation capacity at risk. But the government has chosen to play hardball with the disgruntled workers.

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• #publicSpending