Institutions carry out solidarity action and awareness of high gas prices

Credit: Disclosure

By: Renato Silva / Lupa do Bem – Favela em Pauta

The North Fluminense Oil Workers Union (Sindipetro-NF) and the Single Oil Workers Federation (FUP) created the “Gas at a Fair Price” campaign, in which they subsidize R$50 gas cylinders for families in the community that receive the action. So far, there have been actions in different favelas and peripheral regions, such as the action carried out in the city of Rio das Ostras, on October 21st, and in Vila Vintém, in Rio de Janeiro, on the 28th.

The solidarity action carried out aims at a didactic condition on the country’s economy, by establishing a dialogue between the population and union centers affected by the continuous increases in the prices of fuels and petroleum derivatives, such as gasoline, diesel and LPG (liquefied gas oil), used in Brazilian cuisines.

The director of Sindipetro-NF, José Maria Rangel, says it is important that the population becomes aware of the reasons why the price of gas and other fuels do not follow the income of ordinary workers.

“Petrobras has been practicing the so-called International Parity Policy, which means that every time the barrel of oil rises, or the exchange rate varies, the price of fuel increases here”, explains the director.

According to Rangel, this practice should not be common in a country where the currency is the real, and which produces 85% of the fuel needed to meet national demand, requiring only 15% of imports.

“It is as if Brazilian workers are paid in dollars, and we are not paid in dollars. So this policy can be applied in countries that are not producers, for example. Which is not the case in Brazil and other oil producing countries”, he adds.

Actions point to solutions and contradictions

In an action carried out in Vila Vintém, resident Paola Maria, who participated in the action, told the Sindipetro-NF team that she has never seen a situation like the one the country is going through now.

“You pay R$ 113 for a gas cylinder, as I did, it doesn’t exist. The government offers us a grant of R$150.00, we buy the gas cylinder, and what do we eat? It’s all over the place, a can of oil for R$10, expensive rice, beans and meat we can’t even put on the table. I believe it’s the president’s fault, because as long as I can remember, I’ve never seen a crisis of this extent,” he reported.

LPG, the famous “cooking gas”, has already reached the value of R$ 135, in the states of Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul and Rondônia, according to the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) shows that LPG increased by 34.67% in the last 12 months.

The director of Sindipetro-NF says that in addition to the “Gas at Fair Price” action, where gas cylinders are offered at R$50, actions such as donations of basic food baskets are carried out.

Rangel recalls that for the joint initiative, the solidarity practiced also needs a debate on the need to take this action to the population. “It’s not enough for you to get there and hand out a basket, otherwise we’re not going to be like the others. We have to show solidarity, but tell people why they are unemployed. Because I didn’t want to be there, I wanted them to have the freedom to buy whatever they wanted with their salaries. So it is very important to raise awareness of the moment in our country”, he concludes.