In 2024, the president was angered by the empty act; in 2025 and this year, he did not attend official events to avoid wear and tear
May 1st has always been a special date in the political career of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). He, who entered public life through the Metalworkers Union of São Bernardo do Campo and Diadema, always had labor as his main banner. Not surprisingly, he and the other founders chose the name “Workers’ Party” for the acronym founded in 1980.
The date, therefore, has always carried a symbolic weight for the current president: in 1979, it was on May 1st that he made a speech considered historic by the Brazilian left, when he led a metalworkers’ strike and spoke to 150,000 people in São Bernardo do Campo. The following year, he did not participate in the act because he had been arrested by the military dictatorship.
Other milestones on Labor Day were in 1986, when in another well-remembered speech he placed himself as the main name of the opposition at the time and in 2003, when, in his first year in Planalto, he spoke about hope alongside priests and bishops, also on ABC Paulista. In 2022, he participated in an event at Praça Charles Miller, in Pacaembu, in São Paulo, where he criticized Bolsonaro and Operation Lava Jato. Months later, he was elected president of Brazil for the third time.
The date, however, has not been very lucky for the PT member since his return to Planalto. Historical speeches gave way to absences and even an embarrassing moment: in 2024, during a speech at the event celebrating Labor Day, organized by the trade unions in São Paulo, Lula expressed discomfort with the mobilization carried out for the event. According to the president, the call for the event, held in the parking lot of the Corinthians stadium, in Itaquera, was not made as it should have been.
On stage, when introducing his ministers, he said that he discussed the matter with Márcio Macedo, head of the General Secretary of the Presidency. “He (Márcio Macedo) is responsible for the Brazilian social movement. Don’t think it will stay like this. You know that yesterday I talked to him about this act and I said to him: ‘Oh Márcio, the act is poorly called. The act is poorly called. We didn’t make the necessary effort to take the number of people that needed to take'”, said Lula.
In the last two years, the president has not attended any public event. In 2025, a few weeks after the INSS scandal broke, Lula spared himself. This year, there was already concern about accusations of an early campaign. The recent defeats in Congress, added to the stagnation in the polls and the difficulty in mobilizing the left post-pandemic, have buried once and for all any chance of a public appearance by Lula.
Statement to the nation
On the eve of the holiday, the president made a statement to the nation on open radio and television. Speaking, the PT member ignored the defeats in the National Congressannounced the new Unroll Brazilspoke about the end of scale 6×1 and federal government measures.
“We find Brazil and Brazilians in debt. Family debt has grown for years and is suffocating a part of Brazilian society,” he declared.
The Chief Executive informed that the new Desenrola Brasil will be launched on Monday (4). Lula said the program will offer debt renegotiation at interest of 1.99% and with discounts of 30% to 90%. The novelty of this phase is the possibility of . Furthermore, according to the PT member, whoever participates in the initiative will be blocked for one year on all online betting platforms.
“It was not our government that let bets enter Brazil, but it is our government that will put a limit on the destruction they have been causing,” he said.
About end of scale 6×1Lula stated that for up to 40 hours a week, with two days of rest per week, without a salary reduction.
Lula also spoke about the federal government actions to mitigate the effects of the war in Iran and the rise in oil prices. “With a lot of effort, we take the we took a series of urgent measures to contain the increase in prices, guarantee supply and alleviate the burden of the war on Brazilian families”, he stated.
The PT member reaffirmed the national sovereignty. The Chief Executive declared that “Brazil is no one’s backyard”. At the end of the speech, Lula cited measures of his third term and the economic achievements of his administration.
