REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SAO PAULO -- Sao Paulo subway workers defied a court ruling Sunday and extended a strike threatening to cause traffic mayhem at the World Cup's opening game in Brazil's biggest city.
The subway staff's union voted to press on with the strike hours after a labor court ruled it was illegal and imposed a $222,000 fine for every day they fail to work.
The strike has already caused massive traffic jams in the business hub of 20 million people as the city's new stadium prepares to welcome more than 60,000 fans for Thursday's Brazil-Croatia game.
Union president Altino Melo dos Prazeres told subway workers they should seize on the tournament and elections later this year to pressure authorities.
"There's a World Cup, the biggest sporting event in the world. The state government has elections at the end of the year. It has to negotiate," he said before the union voted to maintain the strike, according to the G1 news website.
The 9,000-member union said it would hold a protest on Monday morning at a metro station where police used tear gas and truncheons to disperse strikers last Thursday.
The protest over wage demands is the latest social upheaval to hit Brazil, where there have been angry demonstrations against the World Cup's $11 billion bill.
Union workers have reduced an initial demand for a 16.5 percent wage hike to 12.2 percent, but employers are offering only 8.7 percent.
The 61,600-capacity Corinthians Arena has itself been plagued by delays, and construction workers were racing against the clock over the weekend to finish it before the opening whistle.
Workers were wiping seats, checking beams and installing wiring in two temporary stands for 20,000 fans late Saturday. VIP room sofas and fridges for food stands were still wrapped in plastic.
Construction workers told AFP they still had much work to do but voiced confidence they would be done before the game.
In another dent on the preparations, FIFA announced that US pop star Jennifer Lopez had pulled out of the opening ceremony at the arena due to "production issues."
Lopez recorded official World Cup song "We Are One" with rapper Pitbull and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte.
Delays at five of the 12 host stadiums have contributed to the rising bill of hosting the tournament, infuriating many Brazilians who have held protests demanding President Dilma Rousseff spend the money on hospitals and education instead.
Rousseff insists the money spent on the tournament will leave a legacy of modernized airports and transport infrastructure that will benefit Brazil for years to come.
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