Union wants meeting with Americanas to deal with dismissals – 01/20/2023 – Market

The request for judicial recovery filed by Americanas has put dozens of trade unions throughout Brazil on alert, which are preparing for the possibility of facing a wave of layoffs.

Since last week, when a fiscal inconsistency estimated at R$ 20 billion was made public, union leaders were already starting to visit stores to guide employees.

In São Paulo, the union intensified its visits in the last two days. The union relations director of the Union of Commerce Workers of São Paulo Josimar Andrade calculates that he has visited around 20 Americanas units in the central region and in the south, east and west zones.

The reports collected in these stores are, for the time being, calm. “I would say that the scenario still goes without anything unusual.” The union was also called to investigate the closure of the chain’s stores, such as one in Penha, east of São Paulo, where employees were seen removing goods before the doors were lowered.

According to Americanas, this store was closed due to structural problems in the property and negotiations for the delivery of the space began in October last year.

Josimar, from the union, says that the closures identified in recent days were already programmed, would be related to the delivery of the point and would not be a consequence of the crisis in which the retailer has plunged in recent days.

On Thursday (19), Ricardo Patah, who is president of the São Paulo union and also of the UGT (General Union of Workers), asked the Minister of Labor and Employment, Luiz Marinho, to call on the regional labor superintendencies to accompany the possibility of mass layoffs. “That’s a lot of employees, a lot of stores, we’re going to need everyone taking care of this.”

Nilton Neco, coordinator of the trade sector of Força Sindical, asked Americanas to hold a meeting next week. The director, who is also president of the Trade Union of Porto Alegre, says he expects the retailer to collaborate in defining a strategy.

In the request for judicial recovery forwarded to the Justice of Rio de Janeiro, the chain claims to generate “more than 100 thousand direct and indirect jobs” in 3,600 establishments.

“Our first strategy is the meeting. If that doesn’t happen, we’re going to articulate a national movement, seek the Labor Public Prosecutor’s Office, do what we can to guarantee workers’ rights”, he says.

The time, according to Neco, is still to seek dialogue. In Porto Alegre (RS), he says that employees are apprehensive. “Of course, it was a crisis that appeared out of the blue and our role is to show that we are acting to ensure that all rights are respected.”

Trade unions linked to Força Sindical are also being advised to seek official communication from the retailer at their bases and make decisions based on these positions.

In São Paulo, the union linked to the UGT would have already received the signal that “everything will be done via the union”. According to Patah, the relationship with the company has always been peaceful.

At the Lojas Americanas units, union leaders say that two types of workers are employed. At the cashiers and in customer service are the youngest, many in their first jobs. Those who are older and have been with the company longer are supervisors, managers and supervisors.