Strike by Rio police danger for Carnival
RIO DE JANEIRO — Police are threatening a strike that could prompt violence during the globe’s biggest Carnival bash in spite of government approval Thursday of a pay raise.
A police work stoppage would force authorities to deploy thousands of soldiers into the streets to provide security in this city of 6 million people that will host the 2014 World Cup finals and the 2016 Olympics.
A measure approved by Rio’s legislature gave police, prison guards and firefighters a 39 percent raise staggered over this year and the next, along with a promise of more in 2014.
But union leader Helio Oliveira, a major with Rio state police, said officers’ salaries have been devaluing for decades, and 56,000 officers and guards are willing to walk out in protest if their demands are not addressed.
“What was approved today does not meet our demands,” he told The Associated Press by telephone. “It’s half of what we want, and won’t be given all at once. We want a new proposal, with a salary offer that is enough to meet our needs.”
A walkout by security workers here could be disastrous for Brazil’s Carnival, the world’s largest, which draws about 800,000 tourists and is slated to begin on Feb. 17.
In Salvador, Brazil’s third largest city, a 10-day-old walkout by police has prompted a spike in violence and homicides. That city’s Carnival is Brazil’s second largest, and while officials vow it will go on, many visitors have canceled their trips to the city.