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Latin American countries have apprehensively witnessed the threat of a coup against Brazilian democratic institutions, while the elites want to tear up the Constitution of Brazil, disturbing the political scenario, deepening the economic recession and raising unemployment in the country.  

It is a clear sign that democracy, the working class’ rights and Brazil’s sovereignty run a serious risk.

We, unionists from different countries, members of unions affiliated to UNI Global, gathered at this act in the 18th Meeting of UNI Americas Executive Committee to express our total solidarity to President Dilma Rousseff, lawfully-elected by the majority of the Brazilian people, and to our fellowman, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s greatest political and popular leader, who deserves and enjoys the full confidence of the Brazilian and the Americas’ working class.

We want to reaffirm the belief that this coup attempt has contributed to worsen the political and institutional crisis that affects Brazil. We believe that this crisis can only be overcome with political stability. It is through democratic means, with no exception, and on the light of the Constitution, that recovering of growth and employment opportunity will arise in the country again. 

The moment requires unit and demands repudiation of anti-democratic attitudes that, under the pretext of combating corruption, lead to a so called ‘legal’ and midiatic coup.

Lula and Dilma have forged their political leadership through social movements that have exerted governments marked by important achievements of the working class and the people, among which we want to highlight:

1.       Minimum wage raise policy;

2.       The filing of the labor reform that established the prevalence of the negotiated over the legislated;

3.        Legalization of trade unions;

4.       The programs Bolsa Família (a social welfare program of the Brazilian government, part of the Fome Zero network of federal assistance programs. Bolsa Família provides financial aid to poor Brazilian families) and Minha Casa, Minha Vida (the solution that the Federal Government has found to promote access to housing for millions of Brazilian families who would hardly have access to it otherwise).

It is not time for a coup. Now it is the moment of reuniting Brazil’s political forces in order to preserve the social achievements reached in the last 13 years, and overcome recession.

For those reasons, among many others that contributed to the aggrandizement of Brazil to the rest of the world, the 18th Meeting of UNI Americas Executive Committee reaffirms its readiness in support of the Brazilian people, especially the laborers, so that democracy, the Constitution and the hard-won social rights continue to be strongly and peacefully defended.

Montevideo, Uruguay, 7th of April, 2016.