Candidate for the presidency of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has a mark on his hands from his past as a lathe worker. He lost the little finger of his left hand in an accident at work.
In several interviews throughout his political career, Lula narrates the accident that cost him his finger. The then mechanic turned worker worked at the Independência metallurgical plant, in the Vila Carioca neighborhood, in São Paulo, in 1964. In an interview with the podcast podPahhe said the factory produced “safe button and door handle”.
One morning, on a shift in which the former president worked, one of the presses broke. Lula then made a screw to make the machine work again.
“I made the screw and, when I went to put it on, the press worker who was dozing got distracted, let go of the press arm, which closed, and I lost my finger”, said Lula, in one of the first interviews in which he spoke about the theme, granted to journalist Mário Morel, in 1979.
The accident could have been worse. “I I had my hand [dentro da máquina], I pulled. Lucky for me, I opened my hand and only my little finger was left”, recalled Lula, on PodPah.
As the accident took place at dawn, Lula had to wait for dawn to go to the Monumento hospital, the only one that treated workers in the region, according to his account.
“I was seen by the doctor at 7 am. Poor, working at night, the National Institute of Social Security (INPS) system didn’t have much choice. The doctor could have taken the opportunity to scratch his ear a little. He preferred to cut everything off.” , said Lula in an interview with TV Globo presenter Jô Soares.
“If it were today, the doctor would leave a little stub. But at that time, the worker reeking of oil, his hand full of grease, why this little stub? It ripped everything off”, Lula recalled to PodPah.
In interviews, the former president said that he became ashamed of the lack of his finger.
“I was prejudiced. I was ashamed to wear a ring and people wouldn’t see my finger. I walked a lot with my hand closed. Then I spent some time learning to wash my face. I kept my hand open, put the water on and [quando levava para o rosto] the water would fall”, he told Jô.
In another interview in 1998, Lula recalled that this type of accident was common among metalworkers: “Many people were left without a finger or part of a finger. At that time, safety at work was almost non-existent.”
Because of the accident, Lula was compensated in 350 thousand cruzeiros, used to buy land and furniture for the ex-president’s mother.
The absence of the finger is often highlighted by political opponents, in a pejorative tone.
