Sao Paulo Metro Workers Suspend Strike ahead of World Cup

The union’s vote will come as a relief to commuters in the business hub of 20 million people as football teams, international media and fans from around the world fly into the country ahead of Thursday’s opening ceremony and the Brazil-Croatia game.

Around a billion people worldwide are expected to watch the opening game on TV, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and 12 heads of state and government will be in the stadium, which workers are rushing to finish in time, France24 reported.

Fans arriving in the city earlier on Monday were met by daunting traffic jams and other delays after police used tear gas to disperse the striking workers. Many waited for around two hours in lines for taxis at the city’s international airport and spent another two or three hours reaching their hotels.

“If this continues, it’ll be chaos,” Miguel Jimenez, a fan from Mexico, told Reuters.

The union decided to halt the five-day-old walkout after transport authorities fired 42 employees for “just cause” over actions they took during the strike, which was ruled illegal by a court.

“Whether we put down tools or not will depend on the re-hiring of the 42 workers,” union president Altino Melo dos Prazeres said after a heated debate among workers.

“I’m a fan of Neymar and I will root for the Cup,” he said. “Nobody here wants to mess up the Cup. But we see that there’s money for the tournament but not for the workers.”

Workers are pushing for a 12 percent pay rise, well above the company’s offer of 8.7 percent.

The walkout added to widespread concerns over whether Brazil’s government can prevent street protests and other simmering labor disputes from disrupting the Cup.

The South America country is expected to put on a good World Cup, but many Brazilians are angry over how much was spent and how the country still struggled to be ready.