Brasília, June 17, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The secretary-general of the National Confederation of Federal Civil Servants, Gilberto Jorge Cordeiro Gomes, declared today, in an interview with Radiobrás, that the federal government is challenging civil servants to a contest, which will be accepted, since at no point did the government place the Social Security reform proposal on the negotiating table with members of the category.

"It (the government) has conversed, placed some conditions, but negotiating item by item, it refused to do this with the workers. Therefore, we had no choice but to approve a strike beginning June 8. We are betting that these mobilizations can help in making changes in the reform," Gomes affirmed. He recalled that the organization's position in regard to the reform is clear. "We aren't opposed to a reform, we just don't agree with the proposal the government sent the National Congress, because, in our view, it aims at privatizing social security for all workers, especially federal civil servants," the union leader alerted. (DAS)