Are the Banks on Strike

The strike is now in its 3rd week. Still no settlement in sight.

Cheers,
James     Expat-blog Experts Team

Mr. James thank you ( obrigado )

If this was the US those people on strike would be looking for new jobs. Banks are not permitted to be closed to customers during normal banking hours. That means if there was a bank strike the bank would be obligated to hire other employees while the strike continued they would not be permitted to shutter their doors without government approval. Banking in the US is usually 10 times faster than any bank in Brazil. You can walk in the door at any bank in the US do your banking business be out the door in 5 to 10 minutes.  Not only that you can do online banking 24/7 paying bills, transferring money etc. a streamlined banking system enhances economic activity.  In Most banks in the US there are NO monthly fees for banking services competition of the banks provides the money to operate them efficiently and better services provides more money than restrictive fees. Banks with restrictive fees find themselves loosing customers to banks that offer no FEE accounts.

Actually I went to by bank branch and despite having signal "GREVE" on the front door, it was open and fully fonctional. The bank manager told it actually did not closed these last few weeks.
Worth to take a look at your branch, you could be nicelly surprised.

So does that mean all banks are open and are fully functional? Was it the Banco do Brasil. I am not in Brasil and would like to have more information so it is not a Walk out?

Alascana wrote:

So does that mean all banks are open and are fully functional? Was it the Banco do Brasil. I am not in Brasil and would like to have more information so it is not a Walk out?

It doesn't mean much!

There are a couple of different unions for bank employees, so not ALL banks in ALL cities are on strike. The vast majority of banks ARE involved in the strike.

The only answer is, that it depends on the bank, what city it's in and what union the employees are members of. That's like trying to figure out a 3 number combination on a lock..... good luck with that!

Cheers,
James    Expat-blog Experts Team

Alascana wrote:

So does that mean all banks are open and are fully functional? Was it the Banco do Brasil. I am not in Brasil and would like to have more information so it is not a Walk out?

No, all banks are not fully functional. Bardamu's bank seems to be the odd exception. To my knowledge, there hasn't been any official end to the strike

Thanks to all who replied as it is hilarious,  the diversity of the banking system(rsrsrs). I will stay tuned for the never ending saga and hope for relief. Thank you all for the information and it is a pleasure this is a fun group of people. It is my come to place for the Brasil info.

Well since I went to my baank this morning, I looked more attentively at others when passing in front, and I saw that some were actually open. Clearly you will have more chance with private banks than estadual like Banco of Brasil, la Caixa.

Bardamu wrote:

Well since I went to my baank this morning, I looked more attentively at others when passing in front, and I saw that some were actually open. Clearly you will have more chance with private banks than estadual like Banco of Brasil, la Caixa.

They're ALL open in the part of the branch that houses the ATM machines, and many will have an attendant there. It has been that way since the beginning of the strike.  That does not necessarily mean that the branch itself is open. You actually need to go inside to see if there are clients and staff in the inner part of the branch.

Cheers,
James    Expat-blog Experts Team

I don't know of any banks in the US that have union employees,. In the USA federal Law prohibits firing anyone that is on a legal strike.

Most revolting of all is that here in Brazil, even the pay for days they're on strike can't be deducted from their salaries. This is the reason that there are so damned many strikes in this country. I always used to be pro-union until I moved to Brazil and saw what it is like in a country where unions have gone wild.

President Ronald Regan had the right idea when he declared thePATCO (Professional Air Traffic Controller's Organization) strike "a peril to national safety", decertified the union and fired every last one of them. Unfortunately here in Brazil the right to unionize and to strike is absolute. Where else will you find even police having the ability to strike?

Cheers,
James   Expat-blog Experts Team

It should be that they shouldn't be paid while on strike. That would end these long strikes in Brazil and give the employees incentive to negotiate in good faith. Since there are no consequences for the employees going on strike they do it knowing they will be paid. In the end the customers get stuck footing the bill with higher prices for fees and end up getting screwed with poor service and exorbitant fees.  Brazilians protest about things but ignore important issues that could save them money mainly because they don't know how it could function better brainwashed by the bureaucracy of how it is and never realize it could be better and get real change

For what we actually do at a teller's wicket, I think the only answer for Brazil is to do away with amost all of their employees, close the "bricks and mortar" banks and go strictly for virtual banks and ATMs. Of course the Brazilian government would never allow that, but it certainly would prevent bank employees from holding the entire nation and its economy hostage every year. The cost is unimaginable and the inconvenience to clients, in my opinion, outweighs any rights the striking workers have.

Cheers,
James    Expat-blog Experts Team

News outlets are reporting that the national command of the bank employees' union will be recommending the most recent increase offer when they meet on Monday. Hopefully this will all be over until next year, when it will all happen again.

Cheers,
James    Expat-blog Experts Team

So they call this a paid 4 weeks vacation at the public's expense plus they get raises to boot which will eventually increase the bank fees once again. Brazilians must like getting screwed over this way otherwise they would put a stop to this nonsense

Strike ends 10% pay increase , accepted Monday 26, 2015