To date, five people have reportedly died while working on stadiums and facilities for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and that’s approximately five deaths too many. However, as several of the stadiums are reportedly way behind in construction, the contractors have allegedly been pushing workers around the clock to get the work completed, and that has led to lapses in safety that have caused injuries and these unfortunate deaths. But after two deaths at the Arena da Amazônia construction site in Manaus last week, the union has finally said, “Enough is enough.”
Except, you know, in Portuguese.
After the death of two workers last week, the builders’ union have downed tools, saying the rush to finish the job before the year-end deadline is putting lives at risk. “The rating for safety in the building site is zero … and we’re under constant pressure to work,” the builder José Aristoteles de Souza Filho told the Brazilian news website G1.
The strike is the latest setback for the Arena da Amazônia, which is among several World Cup venues that are behind schedule. At the weekend, a court ordered the suspension of work on the roof of the basket-shaped stadium after a worker, fell 35 metres to his death on Saturday. Marcleudo de Melo Ferreira died after his cable snapped in the early hours at the end of a night shift. (Via The Guardian)
The solution? The contracting company has to present an updated safety report that proves that things will be better and safety will be a top priority, or else construction remains ceased. Now, I’m no big city lawyer type, but if I know anything about the World Cup, lawyers, contractors and foreign courts, this will be settled with great seriousness and definitely not with a series of bribes and more deaths.
(Banner via Getty)
