Subway workers are on strike and have ground the city to a halt

Godfred Akoto Boafo,Ave Paulista//Sao Paulo- Football fans looking to get around Sao Paulo have found themselves in winding traffic in parts of Brazil’s largest city after subway unions voted to continue a strike.

With the city poised to host the opening game of the World Cup on June 12 between Brazil and Croatia,thousands of soccer fans are now restricted to buses and taxis instead of the faster and cheaper subway systems.

Union leaders said late on Sunday that the strike, launched to back up workers’ demands for higher wages, would continue indefinitely. The announcement followed a ruling handed down by a labor court which ordered the striking subway workers to return to the job.

The striking workers are seeking a pay rise of 12.2 percent, but management has offered just 8.7 percent.

Traffic has been minimal in areas like the upscale Avenue Paulista or the Republicas areas but moving out to to areas around the Estadio Corinthians and the airports from the center of town has become slow and expensive.

With taxi fares starting from BR4.1,a comfortable ride to the outskirts could cost as much as BR150.