Americanas promise not to lay off en masse until March 19 – 02/03/2023 – Market

Americanas, one of the largest retailers in the country, which entered into judicial recovery last January 19, with declared debts of R$ 43 billion, informed this Friday (3) to representatives of trade unions that it will not promote resignation in mass or store closures until March 19, when it presents its judicial recovery plan.

“Until then, the company committed itself to communicating punctual cuts in advance to the union”, informed the Sheet Nilton Neco Souza da Silva, representative of trade workers in Força Sindical and president of the union of trade employees in Porto Alegre.

In addition to Neco, the president of UGT (General Union of Workers), Ricardo Patah, who is also at the head of the Trade Union of São Paulo, participated in the meeting with representatives of Americanas; the president of the Trade Union of Rio, Márcio Ayer; and the president of Fecomerciários (Federation of Commerce Workers of the State of São Paulo), deputy Luiz Carlos Motta (PL-SP).

According to the entities, Americanas already has almost 17 thousand labor claims, which together represent a debt of R$ 1.53 billion. Before the meeting, the unions promoted an act in Cinelândia, downtown Rio, in defense of the 45 thousand direct workers of Americanas.

Such as Sheet revealed, Americanas started cutting personnel on the 31st, starting with outsourced workers. Since the beginning of the judicial reorganization until now, according to the company reported to the unions, 50 people have been laid off, including the team that took care of the telesales service. Other cuts made since then were punctual, informed the retailer to the entities.

In the rush to present its judicial recovery so as not to have its receivables blocked by creditor banks, the company did not include employees in the request. As a result, the amount owed to dismissed workers cannot enter the judicial recovery process and must be paid normally by the company.

According to Silva, a new meeting with Americanas, the unions and a representative of the Public Ministry of Labor should take place this month, after Carnival, so that the retailer can update the representatives regarding the judicial recovery plan.

“They said that, at the moment, they do not have data on how many stores would be closed and how many employees would be dismissed. They are studying it”, says Silva.

“They promised transparency and joint work”, stated Ricardo Patah, from UGT.