MAB denounces Tractebel’s action to French parliamentarians

On the afternoon of September 4th, MAB and MST received the visit of French parliamentarians and representatives of the Inter-parliamentarian Group of France-Brazil Friendship. They are in Brazil receiving information on the energy and agrarian issue, as well as on public health and policies of gender equality.

According to Laurence Cohen, president of the Inter-parliamentarian Group, they made sure to dialogue with the two Brazilian movements for understanding that both movements are highly representative organizations and are in important struggles and resistance in Brazil.

During this meeting MAB debated with the senators about the Brazilian energy policy and presented denounces of the actions of the Belgian-French company, Suez Tractebel, in Brazil.

According to MAB’s activists this company is one of the most violent companies at the electric sector regarding treatment to affected population. For example, at the dam in Cana Brava, in Goiás, where after 12 years of functioning of the dam, only now the company is willing to pay compensation to some of the hundreds families affected who did not receive any type of compensation until today.

This dam drew attention of the senators due to this case is also reported in the Report of the National Council for the Defence of the Human Person, that during the field visit in 2007 ten human rights violations have been registered and 14 recommendations have been made. In a new visit in February this year, the commission of the National Council for the Defence of the Human Person registered that nothing has improved since their last field visit and the report, on the contrary, the living conditions of the affected families have worsened.

Tractebel is the majority shareholder in 10 Brazilian dams, characterized as one of the largest private companies in operation in the country. Besides the denounces of the treatment to those affected by Cana Brava, MAB denounced the action of the company in dams on the Estreito de Tocantins and Jirau in Rondônia. Due to the dam on Jirau, Suez Tractebel was condemned by the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, held in Madrid in 2010, by “committing serious, clear and persistent violations of the principles, standards, commitments and international covenants that protect the civil, political, economic, cultural and environmental rights of the people.”

Also denounces have been made regarding this company by the workers of the electric sector, as in the case of the unionised workers at Tractebel in Santa Catarina, which are prevented from acting in the premises of the company, which means actions against the worker’s trade-union organization.

At the end of this meeting MAB received a plaque of recognition from the Inter-parliamentary Group of Friendship France – Brazil and the French Senate.