Brazilian Police Strike Persists
After 11 days of protests and chaos following a widespread police strike, the Brazilian government is establishing security and order to Vitoria, Brazil. The government promised Sunday that public entities, schools, and health clinics would open as usual on Monday.
More than 1,200 police officers returned to work, most of whom were either off duty or on vacation during the protests and strikes last week. Transportation has also resumed as the state attempts to regain control.
Saturday, February 11th, 600 police officers determined to go back to work. In one instance, helicopters landed on the roof of command to pick up 70 police officers who could not leave the building because of the barricade and protestors.
Since the protests began 11 days ago, at least 144 people have died in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo. In the capitol city of Vitoria, the police strike that began on February 4th brought the city to a grinding halt. Schools, public transportation, and businesses closed when the protests began.
The Federal government deployed over 3,000 soldiers and federal police into area to restore order and temporarily replace the 1,800 state police who normally patrol the Vitoria metropolitan area.
Security officials told Globo TV network that during the strike 200 cars were stolen in Vitoria in one single day, ten times the state average. Retail companies lost around $30 million since the police began to strike. When grocery stores do open their doors, they are swarmed by shoppers stocking up.
Afraid to leave their homes, Brazilians are “hostages in their own home” salesman Vitor Paulo told Reuters.
The protests outside police stations were orchestrated by families and friends of the police officers. They are blocking access to barracks and police stations, keeping patrol cars from leaving the stations and patrolling the city. Police officers themselves are barred from striking and several police associations have issued statements denying their involvement in the strikes but expressing their support of the proposed changes.
Representatives of the striking police and protestors met with state officials to demand that their salaries be doubled, that they be paid extra for night work and given danger money, and that all police receive general amnesty for participation in the strike.
The state government announced that on Friday, February 10th, the police officer’s union agreed to end the strike in exchange for higher pay and the government dropping charges against officers indicted for the illegal strike. Unfortunately, the friends and family manning the barricade rejected the agreement.
While some officers have decided to go back to work, as of Sunday 10,000 police continued to strike. The friends and family of the police officers have continued to protest and block the barracks, preventing police vehicles from leaving and paralyzing the police force.
The Brazilian authorities are opening disciplinary proceedings and the state government is charging more than 700 of the police officers with rebellion. The government believes that the police officers were behind the protests and thus organized an illegal strike.
Espirito Santo, like much of the rest of the country, is suffering from a financial crisis that has left the state struggling with providing even basic health, education, and security services. During this time, the police officers have not received a raise in four years due to a wage freeze. State officials say that they do not have the resources to raise wages.
Other Brazilian states are also grappling with the financial crisis and are unable to pay their police properly. In Rio de Janeiro state the government is struggling to purchase basic supplies for schools and hospitals and pay the salaries of teachers, doctors, and police.
Rio is one of Brazil’s most indebted states. Already there have been small-scale protests by friends and family in Rio demanding that the government pay the police officers their Christmas bonuses, which they have promised to pay by February 14th. The strikes in Rio and Vitoria have left government officials afraid that strikes will spread to other states struggling financially.
The Brazilian president Michel Temer authorized the use of armed forces to help police patrol the streets in Rio. Families have blocked off some of the battalion entrances, but unlike in Vitoria, they have not immobilized the police officers.
It is possible that these protests will spread through the rest of the financially crippled states if these protests are successful. While the protests and strikes seem to be mostly under control, the protests have continued in the two states and the government and protestors have yet to come to an agreement in Espirito Santo.
In the meantime, the federal government has stepped in to provide order until the police officers all go back to work.
