News

Nearly 8,000 bank workers and postal workers performed a unified march last Friday, 30

Sept , in Sao Paulo, for better wages and working conditions. Other joint marches and

protests were also held in other cities and regions of the country. Bank workers, on

strike for five days, and postal workers, on strike for almost 17 days by then, decided

on this joint action to strengthen each other’s movement and make it more visible to

society. The protest also demanded for more respect and for a decent proposal from banks

and government. The postal service is run by a state company.



According to the president of the Bank Workers’ Union of Sao Paulo, Juvandia Moreira,

also vice-president of UNI Finance, the workers are willing to continue their struggle

and to resume negotiations. “It’s up to the banks to decide: the strike can keep on

going during this week, even stronger, or they can present a decent proposal”.



The figures of the national bank workers’ strike on this Monday show that the movement

became stronger and absolutely nationalized with all the 26 states and the Federal

District of the country taking active part on the strike. According to the National

Confederation of Finance Sector Workers (Contraf/CUT), almost 8,000 public and private

workplaces were closed up to this Monday, 03 October. The national union leadership, led

by Contraf/CUT, got together this Monday to assess the power of the movement and the

need to intensify it to break through the banks silence. “We want a decent proposal to

reward banks workers’ work and diligence”, states Carlos Cordeiro, president of

Contraf/CUT and UNI Americas Finance.



Brazilian bank workers went on strike on Tuesday 27 after the failure of the fifth round

of negotiations with employers’ organisation Fenaban. Employers proposed a pay rise of

0.56%. In addition they call for the improvement in the sector’s wage floor, the better

possibilities to participate to profit-sharing and job creation. Workers would like to

stop the moral harassment as well as get rid of the massive sales targets. They demand

also for more safety, equal opportunities and ending of precarious employment.



According to the Inter-union Department of Statistics and Socio-economic Studies

(DIEESE), Brazilian bank workers are the most poorly paid among bank workers in the

South of the continent. While the Argentines make US$ 9.80 an hour and the Uruguayans

make US$ 8.00 an hour, Brazilians make just US$ 6.10 an hour.



Source: Contraf/CUT