Caixa sues Pedro Guimarães for forcing an employee to eat pepper and calling him ‘bambi’ – 06/29/2023 – Market

Caixa Econômica Federal filed a new lawsuit against Pedro Guimarães to collect compensation paid by the bank to an employee who was coerced by the former president to eat pepper, and heard homophobic comments.

In the first instance, the bank had been condemned by the Labor Court last year to indemnify the employee in R$ 20 thousand for moral damages. The episode took place in 2020 at an event on the Caixa Mais Brasil program in Amazonas.

The complaint narrates that the executive put pepper on the plate of employees during a dinner and forced the group to eat. To try to disguise the taste and manage to finish the meal, one of the employees dripped a few drops of lemon over the portion. The then president of the bank called the man “São Paulo” and “bambi”, a homophobic term used pejoratively to refer to São Paulo fans.

Caixa’s decision to sue Guimarães for the case was revealed by the newspaper O Globo and confirmed by Sheet.

According to the testimony of witnesses to the MPT (Ministério Público do Trabalho), it was common for Guimarães to force employees to eat pepper. An anonymous complaint was registered internally in July last year, in which a woman narrates that the executive put food on her plate and ate it.

“Many testimonies reveal that the former president played embarrassing pranks on employees, such as throwing people into the river (WITNESS 24 said that an employee drowned in one of these pranks), putting pepper in people’s food”, says an excerpt from the investigation carried out by the MPT.

“WITNESS 24 said that she had already witnessed the girls go several times the whole day without eating because of the pepper that the former president put in their food on trips and WITNESS 26 saw the former president putting food on an employee’s plate. “

Under the command of Rita Serrano, Caixa has charged Guimarães through the courts for the damage caused by the former president. In another action, the company also asks for the return of six iPhone model cell phones or the payment of R$ 45 thousand.

The executive’s defense was sought by the report, but did not respond until the publication of this text. Lawyer José Luis Oliveira Lima has classified the lawsuits as “political moves” by the bank’s current management, to attack its “excellent management”.

Caixa said in a note that it will also file an action for administrative impropriety for acting irregularly on the boards of public or private companies in which the bank had the prerogative to make the nomination. The State-owned Law limits participation to two councils, but Guimarães acted in 21.

“Caixa clarifies that it filed a request with the Federal Court to be admitted as an assistant to the prosecution of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the criminal action filed against the former leader. Work for moral harassment practiced against an employee”, said the bank.

“An action for administrative improbity will also be filed on account of irregular action on the boards of companies in which the bank had the prerogative to make the nomination.”

Guimarães commanded Caixa during most of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) administration, and was only exonerated after allegations of sexual and moral harassment became public. The executive is accused of sexual harassment and sexual harassment. The case is confidential.

In a note, the company states that, in addition to judicial and correctional measures, it reinforced and implemented actions to combat sexual and moral harassment practices. One of the measures listed is the linking of Internal Affairs to the Board of Directors, and the recreation of the Vice Presidency of People.

“In the last year, 34 employees were penalised, after disciplinary proceedings were instituted to investigate conduct related to moral and/or sexual harassment, of which 18 had their employment contract terminated, 7 were suspended, 6 were warned and 3 were excluded and/ or exempt”, he says.

“Another important action was the implementation of a specific policy to prevent and combat moral and sexual harassment and discrimination, in addition to acculturation actions on the subject (such as lectures, dialogue circles, mandatory certifications, creation of a page with informative content, among others). others) for employees and managers”, he adds.