Several construction workers of the Olympic Park for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro voted that they will maintain their strike for an indefinite period of time, writes Yahoo! Sports. They announced their decision on April 14, 2014 just a few days before members of the International Olympic Committee visit Brazil to inspect the developments and ensure that preparations are on schedule.
According to Eurosport, about 2,500 workers said that they are not yet certain how long they will be on strike. Antonio Figueiredo Souza, president of Sintraconst, the union of construction workers said that they will not return to work until they get a good offer. In the meantime, their demands have not been answered so they will continue the matter and elevate it to the Labour Courts.
The strike commenced on April 3, 2014 and is one of the difficulties faced by organizers of the 2016 Olympic Games. It is the first to be held in South America. At present, the preparations are already running late and people are starting to ask questions how the workers will be paid for the work and how much budget is actually allocated for particular projects.
Reuters writes that the OIC already made it known that the city needs more supervision and officials have to be sent to check on the developments more frequently. Gilbert Felli, executive director of the IOC, is bound to return to Rio de Janeiro in the third week of April.
Brazil is also busy preparing for the 2014 World Cup in June and July. There were also several issues regarding delays and lack of budget in many stadiums. More issues surfaced after some workers died in work-related accidents. Some of the works have not even been started with less than two months left before the huge event.
The Olympic Park construction will be suspended until the workers reach a compromise. They are currently mapping out the details on a possible legal suit.
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