TUC Congratulates Brazilian President-Elect, Lula Da Silva
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has congratulated Brazil’s President-Elect, Luiz Lula da Silva for his historic victory in the re-run elections last Sunday. Comrade Lula, a former Labour Leader and one time President of the country has had to endure harassment and imprisonment for charges the courts later declared him innocent. He also had to cope with a ban from politics which prevented him running in the 2018 Presidential elections.
TUC in a statement signed by its president Comrade (Engr.) Festus Osifo, said Lula ‘s victory was instructive despite the stacking up of state powers against him, and the use of security services to set up road blocks to prevent some of his supporters entering the towns to cast their ballot.
“We salute his doggedness, commitment and ability to mobilize the broad mass of the people, and, build coalitions that saw to the defeat of an uncaring and unfeeling administration.
“This victory ends the nightmarish administration of out-going President Jair Bolsonaro who apart from interfering in the courts, destroying the beautiful Brazilian Amazon Forest which is a human shield against climate change, also, saw many Brazilians to early graves when he denied the existence of Covid-19.
“Comrade Lula’s electoral triumph is a victory for the poor, many of who have been pushed down the valley of hunger and want, and also for the workers who despite years of intimidation, stood courageously and campaigned for a humane leadership in the country’, Osifo said.
Further TUC said the Brazilian Labour Movement through the administrations of Lula and his successor, President Dilma Rousseff had contributed in building a humane country in which poverty and want were tackled, saying the succeeding administrations of Presidents Michel Temer and Bolsonario had reversed this in favour of the rich and private profits.
“They had also tried to suffocate the workers and strangulate the unions with their 2017 Labour Code under which most trade unions lost 99 per-cent of their financial resources and had to be kept on life support by volunteers.
“In standing firm by the Brazilian people and ensuring this victory of the populace, the Brazilian Labour Centre, the Central Unica dos Trabalhadores (Unified Workers Central) otherwise known as CUT, has once again, shown trade unions in the world, the path to workers emancipation.
“The TUC salutes CUT and other Brazilian trade unionists and patriots, for a well-deserved victory, wishes Brazil the very best and pledge our solidarity with the Brazilian people always”, Osifo stated.
