Employees at Caixa Econômica Federal rejected the bank’s final collective bargaining proposal on Friday, September 11, opting to continue an indefinite national strike. Meanwhile, Banco do Brasil employees voted to accept their agreement, ending a partial work stoppage that began just days prior.
Financial institutions across Brazil faced a divided labor landscape as the week concluded. While negotiations at Banco do Brasil brought an end to localized strikes, tense talks at Caixa Econômica Federal collapsed after workers rejected management’s final offer, keeping bank branches shuttered nationwide.
Rejection at Caixa and the Continuation of the National Strike
Employees and staff at Caixa Econômica Federal rejected the bank’s final proposal for the renewal of their collective labor agreement during an assembly that wrapped up late Friday evening. The vote saw 68% of participating workers in the union’s base vote against the terms, cementing an indefinite strike that originally kicked off on September 10.
The mobilization stemmed from discontent over salary adjustments and benefit changes.
The Flashpoint Over Saúde Caixa and Coparticipation Costs
At the center of the dispute was the health plan, Saúde Caixa. The institution’s final offer attempted to address worker concerns by raising the bank’s maximum participation in funding from 6.5% to 8%, with active employees seeing proposed contribution brackets shift from a range of 2.7% to 4.5% down to 2.3% to 4.1% based on age.
For retirees and pensioners, the bank proposed lowering the primary holder contribution from 4.5% to 3.9%, alongside a reduction in dependent fees to 640 reals. However, friction remained high because the offer simultaneously raised the annual coparticipation ceiling per family group to 4,800 reals and introduced a fee for emergency room visits.
Banco do Brasil Reaches Settlement and Ends Stoppage
In stark contrast to the deadlock at Caixa, workers at Banco do Brasil voted to accept their institution’s final proposal, bringing a swift close to the partial strike that began on September 10. Private banks had already secured an agreement on September 9 featuring a wage adjustment sitting 0.6% above the National Consumer Price Index.
The resolution at Banco do Brasil involved several critical financial commitments from management. The agreement guaranteed the payment of profit-sharing distributions within 72 hours of signing, alongside an amnesty for the August 20 stoppage and an advance of 360 million reals in employer contributions toward the Cassi employee health association.
Fernanda Lopes, coordinator of the Cebb, stated that it was an important negotiation cycle built with a high level of participation and mobilization from Banco do Brasil employees.
Legal Threats and Unresolved Demands
As Caixa employees maintained their strike lines, management at the state-run bank adopted a hardline stance. Leadership warned that if the terms were rejected before the deadline, the bank would pull the offer entirely and pursue a collective labor dispute in the labor courts to force a judicial resolution.
With private institutions and Banco do Brasil having successfully wrapped up their respective negotiations, attention turns to how labor courts or subsequent mediation efforts will handle the lingering impasse between Caixa and its workforce.
