The Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp) released today (19) a statement in which it reaffirms Josué Gomes da Silva as president of the entity. “He is in full exercise of his functions, as determined by the statutes in force”, says the note.
Last Monday (16th), Gomes received the Vice President of the Republic and Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, Geraldo Alckmin, at a lunch with the entity’s directors at the first meeting of the year. On the occasion, the minister spoke about the need for tax reform.
Alckmin’s participation would be a demonstration of the political influence of the current president of Fiesp. Josué Gomes is the son of José Alencar, who was Vice President of the Republic in the first and second governments of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
At the end of the presentation, the president of Fiesp announced that the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, and the Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, will be the next guests.
Josué Gomes faces internal resistance from a group of employers’ unions dissatisfied with his management. He took over the presidency last year for a term that runs until 2025. Gomes replaces Paulo Skaf, who had been in office for 17 years. Skaf is a declared supporter of Jair Bolsonaro.
On the last 16th, during the entity’s assembly, Gomes was voted off, which is not officially recognized by the entity.
In August 2022, Fiesp, already under the command of Josué Gomes, articulated a letter in defense of democracy, together with other business representations, intellectuals and civil society organizations.
“In the year of the bicentennial of Independence, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to the sovereignty of the Brazilian people expressed by vote and exercised in accordance with the Constitution”, says the opening sentence of the text.
