The long-running postal strike in Brazil is continuing after a narrow majority of unionsyesterday rejected a compromise ruling by the country’s top labour tribunal.
The strike, which started on September 14 and today entered its 23rd day, is over demands forhigher pay and better working conditions.
The number of striking workers, according to postal operator Correios, has dropped back to about23,000 out of the 110,000 employees, or about 20%. The 80% of staff working normally are providingthe usual delivery services and ensuring that about two thirds of the daily volumes are deliverednormally, the company stated.
In the latest developments, Correios and the union umbrella organisation Fentect accepted aruling by the Brazilian Supreme Labour Tribunal on Tuesday (October 4). This proposed a pay rise of6.87% back-dated to August and an additional R$80 per month salary rise from October. This wasessentially the same as the latest offer from Correios.
On the controversial issue of whether workers would have their pay docked for days on strike,the tribunal said that pay for six days would be taken from salary payments on the basis of half aday per month between January and December 2012. The other 15 days should be compensated by workingthe equivalent number of days on Saturdays and Sundays until May 2012.
The Fentect leadership then recommended to its members that they should accept this deal andwarned that if it was rejected the dispute would go to arbitration where it might prove impossibleto win a wages increase.
But yesterday 18 of the 35 regional unions in Fentect rejected the proposal at regional meetingsheld across the country. Major states including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the Federal District(Brasilia) opposed the agreement.
In response to the votes, Fentect secretary general José Rivaldo da Silva said: “Now we have toreinforce the mobilisation and fight to the end.” Cláudio Roberto, a member of Fentect’s nationalnegotiating team, said the strike would continue until Correios presented a new offer.
The next step, according to Brazilian media, will be a special arbitration meeting next Monday(October 10).
