Correios filed a complaint with the TST (Higher Labor Court) due to the lack of agreement with employees regarding salaries and social benefits in the category.
In a serious financial situation, the company requested mediation from the labor court in the hope of being able to relax the clauses that currently guarantee benefits above the minimum guaranteed by the CLT (Consolidation of Labor Laws).
The offering of these benefits does not in itself constitute any irregularity, but the company’s management believes that their maintenance could compromise the financial health of the company.
The category, in turn, requires at least a salary adjustment based on inflation and the maintenance of existing benefits.
A first meeting took place this Thursday (11), in the presence of representatives of the company, employees and the vice-president of the TST, Minister Guilherme Caputo. It is up to him to conduct the mediation and conciliation procedure before a collective conflict process.
Although they are civil servants, Correios employees are governed by the CLT, unlike direct administration employees, such as career members of ministries, who are statutory employees.
Correios’ current ACT (collective labor agreement) provides additional incentives such as higher bonuses on vacation and triple shifts on weekends and public holidays. Some clauses were incorporated recently, when the company was already in difficulty.
The document was signed with the two employee representative federations in September 2024 and was valid until July 31 of this year. It has since been extended and will remain in force until December 15. However, the current management of the company has already announced that it will no longer renew it.
The end of the current agreement does not mean that all additional benefits will be immediately suspended, but the company will have greater flexibility in managing them.
One of the clauses targeted by the company is the so-called point by exception, which allows employees to earn overtime when they work overtime, but without requiring compensation in the event of early departure. For managers, this advantage negatively affects company productivity.
On the other hand, benefits such as aid of R$1,030.58 for those who have disabled people in their care can be maintained, since its financial cost is considered low compared to total personnel expenses. Correios does not publicly disclose the amounts paid for each type of employee benefit.
In a statement to employees, the state-owned company said it considered mediation “the safest way to stabilize negotiations and avoid the opening of a collective conflict, which would aggravate the complexity of the current scenario.”
TST interlocutors say that the company’s case is a priority for the labor court and that the intention is to hold mediation meetings “with hours and hours on the bench” to avoid employee strikes – a measure that could further worsen the company’s situation by harming operations.
The aim is to try to reach an agreement before Christmas, but members of the court do not rule out the possibility of meetings beyond this deadline. The Presidency of the TST has the power to issue summons even during judicial holidays.
As shown LeafCorreios’ personnel costs are expected to reach 15.1 billion reais this year and constitute one of the main challenges of the company’s restructuring plan. This value corresponds to two thirds (65.8%) of the public enterprise’s current expenditure (which takes into account operating costs, excluding investments). Until June, 9.45 billion reais had already been raised.
Last year, the company spent 14.55 billion reais on personnel, a proportion equivalent to 62.8% of current expenses. Meanwhile, current revenues declined to 21.5 billion reais last year, a real decline of 6.6% compared to 2023.
Correios’ restructuring plan will aim to lay off 10,000 employees next year and another 5,000 in 2027 through the PDV (voluntary layoff program), with a potential saving of 1.4 billion reais per year.
SEE SOME OF THE BENEFITS PROVIDED IN THE CORREIOS COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
- 70% bonus on vacation;
- Paid leave of up to two days per month for women who experience serious symptoms associated with menstrual flow;
- Point by exception: the employee clocks in when he works overtime, but can leave earlier (when there are no more deliveries to make, for example) without needing compensation;
- Triple overtime on a weekly day of rest or a paid public holiday, with payment of 200% of the hourly rate or two days of rest;
- Meal voucher of R$50.93 per working day, paid including on vacation and during leave for health or maternity and paternity reasons;
- Assistance to disabled dependents, in the amount of R$1,030.58, with the possibility of reimbursement above this amount in the event of a favorable response from the Correios medical service;
- Reimbursement of a daycare or nanny up to R$714.72 per month, including during the period of maternity leave, without a ban on hiring members of the employee’s family or spouse;
- Possibility of sick leave of up to 90 days while the employee appeals the INSS decision considering him able to return to work;
- Employees elected to the boards of directors of Correios, Postal Saúde (health plan) and Postalis (pension fund) benefit from five days off before each meeting, without salary deduction;
- An employee directing an entity that organizes housing projects for postal workers may be released, without salary deduction, to deal with matters related to the subject.
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