Brazil police use tear gas on striking workers

Brazilian police have used tear gas to disperse about 100 striking subway workers from a station in central Sao Paulo, the city that will host the World Cup opener this week.

Subway workers are on strike for higher wages and have violently clashed with police during recent protests.

RT @syndicalisms: #Brazil #SaoPaulo police fire stungrenades @ prtstrs 3 days before World Cup http://t.co/0Kilsbqacw pic.twitter.com/9GvW9DBv6M

— NoJusticeNoPeace (@anubidal) June 9, 2014

Authorities are expecting almost all of the fans attending Thursday’s opener in Sao Paulo to get to the stadium on the subway.

Union leader Alexandre Roland was one of the strikers hit by tear gas.

He said that until the government sits down to negotiate, the strike will continue, even through the World Cup.

The strike has thrown Sao Paulo’s gridlocked traffic into chaos.

The metro area of 20 million relies heavily on the subway and overland commuter trains.