People’s movements and trade unions held a demonstration against the privatization of the Basic Sanitation Company of the State of São Paulo, also known as Sabesp, on Monday afternoon (22) in front of São Paulo City Hall. The protest happened amid a legal dispute over the future of the public company after courts ruled that the City Council could only vote on privatization after presenting a budget impact report.
According to Renê Vicente, the treasurer of the Union of Workers in Water, Sewage and the Environment of the State of São Paulo (Sintaema, in Portuguese), the protest's main goal was to draw the attention of Mayor Ricardo Nunes.
“He wants to hand over basic sanitation to the private sector. The experience we have – not only in Brazil but also in other countries – is that, where privatization has taken place, tariffs have increased. The service has been made more precarious, and the population has to pay more,” he said.
São Paulo City Council had already approved the company's privatization process in a first vote on April 17. The decision by Judge Elina Kiyomi Toyoshima, of the 4th Public Treasury Court of São Paulo, regards the second round.
The state legislature approved the decision and São Paulo's governor sanctioned it in December last year. Now, towns and cities need to validate the decision supported by the majority of São Paulo state deputies.
Protest against the privatization of Sabesp held in front of the City Hall / Joanne Mota/Sintaema
