Caixa Reopens Bargaining and Suspends Its Own Benefit Measures
BRAZIL · LABOUR
Key Facts
- —What changed Caixa Econômica Federal reopened bargaining on Sunday 13 September.
- —The concession It suspended the unilateral measures on benefits it had announced.
- —Why The unions asked for the table to reopen on Saturday 12 September.
- —The dispute Saúde Caixa, the staff health plan, and what employees pay into it.
- —The strike It continues. In the São Paulo and Osasco base, 68% rejected the final offer.
- —The contrast Banco do Brasil settled on 11 September. Its staff returned to work on Monday.
The state bank withdrew the measures it had imposed and went back to the table. The strike did not end, and the health plan is still the whole argument.
Caixa Econômica Federal returned to negotiations on Sunday and suspended the benefit changes it had announced unilaterally. Its staff remain on strike.
What Caixa Did
The bank agreed on Sunday 13 September to reopen the negotiating table.
It also suspended the unilateral measures it had announced on staff benefits. That suspension was the condition the unions had set.
The request came from the union side on Saturday 12 September. The banking federation Contraf-CUT confirmed the outcome.
Luiza Hansen, who coordinates the staff committee at Caixa, called the reopening an important step.
The Health Plan Is the Dispute
Saúde Caixa is the bank’s own staff health scheme, and it is the sticking point.
The disputed terms are employee contributions of between 2.30% and 4.10% of base salary.
Dependant fees would run from 480 to 660 reais a month, roughly US$88 to US$121.
The scheme’s cost ceiling would rise from 6.5% to 8%. Staff read that as shifting medical inflation onto them.
Where the Strike Stands
The strike continues nationally. In the São Paulo and Osasco union base, 68% rejected the final offer at a Friday assembly on 11 September.
Contraf-CUT says more than 90% of bases had rejected the earlier text.
On the first day of the strike, 245 of 283 Caixa branches closed in the São Paulo union base.
A protest was called for Monday on Avenida Paulista, with a national bank workers’ committee meeting the same afternoon.
Banco do Brasil Went the Other Way
The other federal bank settled. Banco do Brasil reached agreement with its workers on 11 September.
The terms were 0.6% above the INPC inflation index, with profit-share paid within 72 hours. Each employee also receives a bonus of 3,000 reais, about US$551.
Paternity leave was extended from 20 to 35 days. The bank also advanced 360 million reais, roughly US$66 million, to its staff health fund.
Most bases approved and returned to work on Monday 14 September. The staff committee reports that around 18 bases rejected the agreement.
The Paraíba Contradiction
One state has produced two incompatible reports, and we are not going to reconcile them artificially.
One Paraíba outlet reported on 11 September that Banco do Brasil staff voted to maintain the strike. It gave 504 votes cast, with 261 to continue and 231 to end.
Another Paraíba outlet, and the state banking union’s own site, reported approval with 81.57%. That count was 354 for and 72 against, from 434 votes.
Same state, same bank, same day, opposite outcomes, and two different electorates. The likeliest explanation is a second assembly after the national agreement landed.
No source states that sequence, so we are not asserting it. What is clear is that Caixa staff in Paraíba are still out, with more than 75% rejecting.
Why This Matters Beyond the Banks
Caixa and Banco do Brasil are federally controlled and among the largest banks in Latin America.
Caixa in particular administers social programmes, unemployment insurance and the main housing finance system. A prolonged strike reaches beyond banking customers.
The two outcomes also show the shape of the dispute. The pay question was settleable. The health plan question was not.
What Is Not Known
No new Caixa offer has been published, and no date has been given for a vote on one.
The 18 bases that rejected the Banco do Brasil agreement have not been named anywhere.
It is also unclear how long Caixa’s suspension of the benefit measures lasts, or what happens to it if talks fail.
More: Brazil business news, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Caixa agree to?
It reopened negotiations on 13 September and suspended the benefit measures it had announced unilaterally.
Is the strike over?
No. Caixa staff remain on strike, with 68% rejecting the final offer in the São Paulo and Osasco base.
What is the dispute about?
Saúde Caixa, the staff health plan, and employee contributions of 2.30% to 4.10% of base salary.
Did Banco do Brasil settle?
Yes, on 11 September. Most bases returned to work on 14 September.
What were the Banco do Brasil terms?
0.6% above the INPC index, profit-share within 72 hours and a bonus of 3,000 reais, about US$551.
What happened in Paraíba?
Two outlets published opposite results for the same vote. Caixa staff there remain on strike.
Sources: Contraf-CUT, Sindicato dos Bancários de Campo Grande, Metrópoles, Paraíba Online, Jampa News.
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