Postal workers approve strike in 4 states on the eve of Black Friday

Correios employees in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Maranhão and Tocantins will go on strike starting this Thursday (23), due to issues related to the category’s collective agreement. The strike was approved this Wednesday morning (22) and will take place on the eve of Black Friday, a date when an increase in the traffic of goods in the country is expected.

According to a statement released mid-morning, Findect (Interstate Federation of Postal Workers’ Unions), which represents unions in the four states and the city of Bauru (SP), states that the Postal and Telegraph Company (ECT) “refuses” to “correct inconsistencies highlighted by the federation”. “No correction, no Black Friday”, he states.

“Over the last 50 days, Findect sought dialogue, however, the response from management, led by Fabiano Silva, was inadequate, neglecting the legitimate demands of workers.”, said the entity in a statement.

The federation states that there are 26 points discussed, the most crucial of which is the non-incorporation of R$250 into the base salary, which had been agreed at a collective bargaining table. According to the federation, ECT proposed a staggered payment of the benefit, which “would not bring any benefit to workers”.

“This attempt by the ECT to transform the salary adjustment into a superficial measure, with no lasting impact, is a clear threat to the rights and financial stability of the category,” he stated.

Although the union assemblies have not yet been completely held, the federation reported that all unions have already decided to strike employees.

Findect added, and also said that the “imminent taxation on the bonus of R$ 1500 in January represents a serious risk of a substantial reduction in these amounts, worsening the losses for workers already subject to abusive discounts”.

In addition to negotiating bonuses, the entity also asks for a public competition, improvements in health plans and “decent working conditions, given a lack of competition and a workforce that has been out of date for more than a decade”.

According to Findect, the five unions represent 60% of the postal flow of parcels and 40% of the workforce across the country. The federation’s press office points out that the strike approved this Wednesday (22) will also be aggravated by outsourced workers who are already stranded due to lack of payment.

The federation also informed that it will hold an event in Rio de Janeiro this Thursday (23) to demand the return of resources from the Postalis retirement fund from a bank in the United States.

The approval of the strike also comes one day after the Post Office announced a discount of up to 30% to consumers for sending orders during Black Friday.

“In this year’s Black Friday edition, Correios, an entity linked to the Ministry of Communications (MCom), will offer discounts of up to 30% on national and international parcel shipments. The initiative ranges from ordinary consumers to large businesspeople”, said the ministry in a statement (see in full).

The stoppage will be indefinite. The Post Office has not yet commented.

Data from the National Commerce Confederation (CNC) shows that this year’s Black Friday is expected to break sales records and generate revenues of R$4.64 billion, an increase of 4.3% compared to last year. The electronics, housewares, furniture and appliances segments should account for almost half of the expected financial movement, says the entity.