Union negotiations resume as Brazil's postal strike continues
Brazil’s postal service reopened negotiations with national postal union Fentect yesterday, as strike action headed into a third week. Negotiations are expected to continue today (September 28).
However, the union said today that it cannot accept ECT proposals for a new collective bargaining agreement, since the terms have not changed following previous union rejections.
The Post and Telegraph Company (ECT) said last night it will be in talks today over the proposals, which are based on a base salary increase of 6.87% in real terms.
The offer, which would affect about two-thirds of the 110,000 work force, translates into a monthly salary increase of R$50, but ECT is also offering a one-off R$800 bonus.
Along with increased benefits like food coupons, ECT management says its offer is tantamount to a 13% pay rise.
The state-run corporation said its offer is the “best alternative” based on its limited budget.
In a statement, ECT said yesterday: “The Post reaffirms its commitment to dialogue and transparency in the negotiations with respect to workers and the public.”
Union
Fentect, which filed a counter offer on Friday in which it dropped its pay demand from a R$400 a month pay rise to a R$200 a month increase, said in a statement today that after a six-hour meeting yesterday, it is directing members to “intensify” their protests.
Along with a rejection of the ECT pay rise offer, the union objects to the demand from ECT that strike days will count against employees’ annual vacation entitlement.
Fentect said in today’s statement: “We continue in Brasilia to be at their disposal for further negotiations. It is expected that negotiations will continue this afternoon. With the issues we are facing, we are directing the movement to continue its blockade.
“We emphasise that we must intensify our protests,” added the union.
Fentect – the national federation of postal workers – filed a lawsuit with industrial courts on Monday seeking to prevent ECT from counting strike days against vacation allowances.
Minister
On Monday, Brazil’s communications minister Paulo Bernardo insisted there was progress being made by ECT on ending the strike, but he insisted that strike days should count against workers’ vacation allowance.
The minister suggested that ECT could find a way to agree a new labour contract, perhaps by offering certain discounts.
Bernardo said: “We put forward a proposal and they have accepted with some changes, but want pay even after work stopped – but we are unable to do this, because we have had over 80% of the workers in active service, doing the work.”
About a third of ECT’s postal workers went on strike on September 14, although by last weekend the company said the proportion had dropped to around 19%, while the union puts the figure at 25%.
ECT has been adjusting its work operations to try to cope with the strike, including an increased use of overtime.
Over the weekend, the company said its staff delivered 9.4m letters and parcels throughout Brazil, while 27m postal items were processed ready for delivery this week.
ECT said thousands of workers from both operational and administrative levels have helped to keep services running during the “partial shutdown”.
Bernardo said: “Both the previous weekend and last weekend, staff made a collective effort – many people worked on screening, separating, preparing items ready for distribution in the logistics centres.”
The minister added that once the strike ends, services should be quickly back to normal.
