Post office employees from 9 states went on strike during the negotiation of the category’s collective agreement, which is being mediated by the Superior Labor Court (TST).
Workers began to stop activities on Wednesday, 17th, in agencies in Ceará, Paraíba, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, as well as some regions of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.
According to the state-owned company, of the 36 unions that represent the company’s workers, 12 joined the strike. Even so, Correios stated that this Friday, 19, 90% of the state-owned company’s staff were working. “The agencies remain open to serve the public, and deliveries are being made throughout the country,” he informed.
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Correios also stated that “contingent measures” were adopted to guarantee the continuity of “essential services to the population”. On social media, there are reports of people claiming delays in deliveries due to the strike and also messages fearing that the strike will affect the delivery of orders.
On Thursday, the 18th, the TST determined, in a preliminary decision, the minimum maintenance of 80% of the company’s employees in activity in the units where there is a strike. In case of non-compliance, a daily fine of R$100,000 per union was set.
Negotiations
Among the workers’ demands are a salary adjustment to compensate for inflation, an additional 70% for vacation and 250% for work on weekends and holidays, in addition to the maintenance of previously acquired rights. The federations that represent workers have maintained their guidance for the category to continue on strike.
In the preliminary decision, TST minister Kátia Magalhães Arruda stated that the outbreak of the strike “compromises negotiating good faith, especially since there was an express commitment from the unions not to carry out strikes while negotiations were ongoing”.
In a hearing held on Tuesday, 16th, it was established that the proposal created in mediation, which is valid for two years, should be submitted to the category assemblies by December 23rd, with the agreement expected to be signed on December 26th. If the proposal is not accepted, a collective dispute may occur, transferring the definition of the clauses to the Court.
According to Correios, the proposal preserves benefits achieved over the years, “even in a challenging economic-financial scenario”. Amid the severe crisis, the company’s deficit estimate for this year is R$5.808 billion. If the projection is confirmed, it will be the largest deficit among all state-owned companies.
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“The proposal constructed by the TST, in dialogue with the company and the federations, represents a unique opportunity for a negotiated solution, with prior government validation and preservation of previously achieved benefits”, stated Correios.
On the other hand, the National Federation of Workers in Postal, Telegraph and Similar Companies (Fentect) informed that it will not accept a proposal that would result in the loss of workers’ rights. Furthermore, the entity instructed the unions to expand their mobilization with a view to a national strike, if the company “does not present a worthy proposal”.
“Unfortunately, given the intransigence of the management of ECT (Correios), which insists on presenting a proposal with the withdrawal of rights, it was not possible to move forward in negotiations. Fentect reaffirmed its firm position that it will not accept any proposal that implies loss of workers’ rights”, he stated.
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