Bank strike expands and closes over 7,000 branches around the country

The third day of the strike by bank workers, yesterday, found 7,672 branches closed down (that is an increase of over 22% from Wednesday when 6,258 branches were closed). The bad news is that administrative centers inside the bank branches have joined the strike with consequences on internal banking operations.

The workers demands include a 12.8% salary increase (that would be a 5% real increase), hiring of more employees, less rotation of personnel, better consumer relations and changes in work/productivity goals established by the banks that the workers consider abusive.

The union leading the strike, Contraf, says that the silence of the bankers and the government will cause the biggest strike in years. “The silence is an indignity that strengthens the resolve of workers to move ahead with the strike. As long as the bankers association (“Febraban”) does not present a decent proposal, the movement is just going to grow all over the country,” declared Carlos Cordeiro, a coordinator of the National Strike Command.