Brasilian Trade Unionists vote to Donate 1% of Wages to Haitian Trade Union

About 1,500 workers have already approved, in assemblies, to donate 1% of the wages to the Haitian people. The initiative is part of the campaign organized by the Metalworkers' Union of Sao Jose dos Campos, affiliated to CONLUTAS. On Thursday, the 11th, meetings will take place at General Motors, which currently has 8500 employees.

This is an unprecedented campaign in which donations were approved at meetings and deducted directly from payroll. The Union has at its base about 40,000 engineering factories located in the cities of San Jose, Jacareí, Caçapava, Santa Branca and Igaratá.

Tuesday, 9 Feb, employees of Hitachi Bundy and unanimously agreed . Last week was the turn of Trelleborg.

Tomorrow, 10, the assembly will be at Heatcraft. The campaign will go to all the main factories in the region. The money raised will be used for reconstruction of workers' organizations and direct aid to the Haitian workers.

The money will be sent as a matter of class solidarity to the trade union and popular organisation in Haiti, Batay Ouvriye (Workers Battle).

"Help is needed to ensure the minimum conditions for survival of workers and reconstruction of entities. Until now, the steel workers have shown great solidarity and willingness to assist fellow Haitians, "says the union leader Renato Luiz Bento.

The Union and Conlutas also advocate the end of the occupation troops from Haiti by U.S. military and the UN. "The tragedy that occurred in that country does not justify the occupation and the end of Haitian sovereignty. Defending the independence of Haiti for its own people set their priorities and reconstruction of their country, "concludes Renato.

The campaign of the union held simultaneously performed by Conlutas also in favor of the working class. The first deposit sent to the Haitian organization Batay Ouvriye was R $ 104,838.65. A bank account was opened exclusively to receive donations: Bank of Brazil, agency 4223-4, 8844-7 checking account on behalf of Coordination Haiti.