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Copasa Employees React to the Amendment That Opens the Way for Privatization and May Strike. Understand What Is at Stake.
Copasa Employees React to the Privatization Amendment
Copasa employees may initiate a strike in Minas Gerais against the privatization of the sanitation company. The alert arose this week after the advancement of the Amendment (Proposal to Amend the Constitution) that removes from the State Constitution the requirement of a popular referendum to authorize the sale of the company.
The measure is currently being processed in the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais (ALMG) and is already under analysis by a special committee. If the project advances to a vote in the plenary, the union promises to intensify mobilization.
Union Conditions Strike on the Progress of the Amendment
The Sindágua, the entity representing the category, made it clear that the decision to strike depends directly on the progress of the Amendment.
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“We will evaluate the progress of the work here. And as soon as there is a definition of a date for the plenary, we should possibly strike and call the population to come to the streets,” said the union director, Milton Costa.
Thus, the possible strike arises as a direct response to the advancement of the agenda that, according to the employees, threatens labor rights and the sovereignty of water in Minas.
How the Amendment Changes the Future of Copasa
The proposal under analysis removes from the Constitution of Minas the requirement that the privatization of Copasa be submitted to a popular referendum. Therefore, if the Amendment is approved, the decision to sell or not the state-owned company will be restricted to the political power of the ALMG, without the need for direct consultation with the population.
For the employees, this change opens the door to an accelerated privatization process, without broad public debate and without guarantees of protection for the rules set forth in labor legislation.
Employees Fear Labor and Social Impact
In addition to the risk to water management, the employees point to the possibility of serious impacts on labor relations. They claim that privatization could reduce guaranteed rights and precarious contracts, as the new private management could alter collective agreements.
On the other hand, the state government justifies the measure as a way to attract investments and increase the efficiency of basic sanitation. However, the workers believe that the rush to approve the Amendment ignores the need to listen to the population.
Population May Be Called to Protests
The employees maintain a high alert while the project has not yet reached the plenary. The union has already announced that it will call the population to the streets in order to directly pressure the lawmakers if the vote is scheduled.
In this scenario, the workers are organizing the strike along with public acts, which reinforces the resistance against the privatization of Copasa. In this way, they seek to mobilize popular support to block the approval of the Amendment.
What to Expect in the Coming Days
In light of the advancement of the Amendment, the union maintains the strategy of monitoring each stage of the processing. Thus, any move to strike should only occur if the vote in plenary is scheduled.
Meanwhile, the employees continue to denounce that the removal of the popular referendum weakens democratic participation in a decision that directly affects millions of people in Minas.
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