Journalist is fired after denouncing degrading work – 06/03/2023 – Market

The Public Prosecutor’s Office for Labor in Santa Catarina (MPT-SC) is investigating a complaint of work in degrading conditions at a worksite run by the city of Joinville (SC).

After the images taken by Sinsej (Joinville Public Servants Union) were published by the Folha Metropolitana news site, the author of the report, Leandro Schmitz, was fired, and the president of Sisej, Jane Becker, claims to have received death threats.

The case takes place days after a police operation rescued Bahian workers in conditions similar to slavery hired by a third-party company to provide services at three wineries in Bento Gonçalves (RS). The episode involving the company Fênix and the brands Aurora, Garibaldi and Salton gained national repercussions.

In Joinville, the case involves workers from an outsourced company, Celso Kudla Empreiteiro Eireli (also called Construtora Azulmax LTDA), which is carrying out work to expand the City Hall’s Animal Welfare and Protection Center in the Vila Nova neighborhood.

According to Sinsej, based on a complaint, the union attended the site on February 27 and recorded on video the arrival of 13 workers being transported to the construction site in the trunk of a truck. Hours later, the union returned to the site to talk to the workers. According to Jane, in addition to working without protective equipment, they ate their meals sitting on the floor of the place that will serve as a kennel.

The MPT-SC investigates where the workers were from and other information about the case. To Sinsej, they said they lived in Nova Brasília, a region in the west of the city known as the “dormitory neighborhood” of civil construction workers in Joinville.

The company Celso Kudla Empreiteiro Eireli did not return calls on the phone number registered in its CNPJ.

The Environment Secretariat states that it notified the company, requested information, determined the stoppage of the work and made itself available to the MPT for clarification. The City Hall also announced the formation of a working group to review its contracts.

The report on the case of journalist Leandro Schmitz was published on February 28. Shortly afterwards, Schmitz was fired.

In a note, Folha Metropolitana said that the dismissal is not related to the case, but due to “team restructuring to meet journalistic production with the new financial and editorial reality”. He also said that the journalist “had little time available for the vacancy, since he is also a public servant of the city hall”. The vehicle denies censorship and says it welcomes the initiative to denounce the case.

“I had the autonomy to investigate, edit and publish the reports myself. Precisely because it was a delicate case, I did my job with the maximum possible rigor. everyone involved. I think the facts speak for themselves, and the repercussion of the response given by Folha Metropolitana as well”, says Schimtz.

In addition to Sinsej, the author of the complaint, the Union of Journalists of Santa Catarina issued a statement in solidarity with Schimtz, evaluating the dismissal as a “harsh blow to the free press” and making its legal advice available to the professional.

On Thursday morning (2), shortly after the Sinsej complaint was filed and accepted by the MPT-SC, the union president says she was approached by a motorcyclist on Rua dos Aimorés while driving.

“He asked if I wanted to die. At the time I thought it was a traffic situation, but then he told me to stop going where I shouldn’t be and accelerated,” says Becker.

This Monday afternoon (6), Mayor Adriano Silva (Novo) met with Becker to show solidarity.

The trade unionist registered a police report for threat, and the episode was reported on the same day by Folha Metropolitana. Becker believes that outsourcing made working conditions precarious and also compromised the efficiency of public services in the city.

“Everyone involved loses, except those who are benefiting from the exploitation of labor. Take a look at this work by the Animal Welfare Center. It was a contract signed in 2020 to be carried out in a year that can be extended for another six months. 2023, the work has already received amendments and has not been completed”, says Becker.

According to the Joinville City Hall, the service order was carried out in February 2021 and, at the company’s request, an amendment was issued until December 2023. Since the beginning of the work, the company has been notified 12 times due to delays or lack of sufficient staff.