Americanas start layoffs in Rio and Porto Alegre – 01/31/2023 – Market

Americanas, one of the largest retailers in the country, which entered into judicial recovery on the last day 19, started this Tuesday (31) the staff cuts.

THE Sheet found that the dismissals began in Rio de Janeiro, the headquarters of the company, which was founded in 1927 by American immigrants. The next step should be São Paulo, where the largest number of stores and CDs (distribution centers) of the retailer are concentrated.

The cuts, at this first moment, should involve indirect employees, but will also be extended to personnel hired under the CLT regime.

In other markets, where there are fewer points of sale, such as Porto Alegre, for example, layoffs already affect employees with less than a year at the company.

When contacted, Americanas denied, through its press office, that there are layoffs. He said that “he just interrupted some contracts with companies providing outsourced services” (read the full note from the company at the end of the text).

Companies that enter into judicial recovery, in general, reduce the staff before the request, so that debts with rescissions are also contemplated in the process, which provides for some flexibility.

However, as it was being pressured by creditors, Americanas anticipated its plans, and ended up applying for recovery before being able to make cuts. That is, the amount owed to dismissed workers cannot enter the judicial recovery process and must be paid normally by the company.

There are around 45,000 direct employees and approximately 60,000 indirect employees. The retailer has around BRL 43 billion in debt with all creditors.

The Commerce Workers Union of Rio de Janeiro stated that, until the beginning of the afternoon, it had not received information about layoffs at Americanas.

Alongside trade union centrals, the entity announced the holding of an act in defense of the network’s workers. The demonstration is scheduled for Friday (3), in Cinelândia, in downtown Rio.

On Monday (30), representatives of trade unions from various regions of the country met with the Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, to discuss the effects of Americanas’ judicial recovery on workers in the sector.

“We are already aware that the dismissals have started, but the company does not communicate and leaves the employees afflicted, in a state of apprehension”, said Nilton Neco Souza da Silva, representative of the commerce workers of Força Sindical and president of the Union of Employees in the Commerce of Porto Alegre.

Layoffs come from the need to close stores

THE Sheet found that the cuts should occur, mainly, due to the need to close stores. The numbers are uncertain, but there is an expectation that at least 30% of the points of sale will close their doors, in order to reduce fixed costs with rent and personnel.

The retailer’s last balance sheet, referring to the third quarter of 2022, indicated a chain with 3,601 points of sale, including Grupo Unico franchises (Imaginarium, Puket, MinD and LoveBrands) and Local (which, together with the BR Mania stores, were part of the joint venture Vem Conveniência, dissolved by the Vibra group on the last 23rd). These points, however, are not involved in the judicial recovery.

But the Natural da Terra horticultural chain (79 stores), purchased by Americanas in November 2021, is in the process of judicial recovery. In addition, stores that can be closed belong to the traditional Americanas format (1,017 points) and the Americanas Express model (783 points). Together, the two formats add up to almost 1.3 million square meters.

Americanas also began calling on executives in management and board positions to work face-to-face (they had been working remotely since the beginning of the pandemic). The company relies on the unpopularity of this measure to make executives resign – which would burden the company less, since they are higher-paying positions.

Only workers in the administrative area would remain in the home office as analysts.

Government wants to mediate dialogue between Americanas and workers, says minister

The government should create a round table to facilitate dialogue between Americanas and the company’s workers, the Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, said this Tuesday, arguing that Organs responsible bodies will be called upon if it is found that there has been fraud in the company’s accounting.

“I cannot say that there was fraud, but that it smells, it does,” he said.

Marinho said, during an interview to comment on the formal employment data for 2022, that the government’s objective is to protect the weaker side in these negotiations, mentioning that Americanas has 44,000 employees.

“Workers are victims of this process, […] I didn’t see anyone talking about concern about the employment of workers,” he said.

Full note from Americanas:

Americanas informs that it has not started any employee dismissal process. The company just interrupted some contracts with companies providing outsourced services. Americanas is currently conducting its Judicial Recovery process, one of whose objectives is to guarantee the continuity of the company’s activities, including the payment of salaries and benefits of its employees on time. The recovery plan will define what the company’s actions will be for the coming months and will be widely publicized as soon as it is finalized.

Collaborated Leonardo Vieceli, from Rio