Lines 1-Blue, 2-Green, 3-Red and 15-Silver were affected and are not in operation; the municipal vehicle rotation will be suspended for the whole day
Since dawn this Thursday, 22nd, lines 1-Blue, 2-Green, 3-Red and 15-Silver Subway are paralyzed due to the strike by the Union of Subway Workers in São Paulo. The stoppage was confirmed on the night of this Wednesday, the 22nd, after an assembly of train workers in the capital of São Paulo. According to what was disclosed by the company, lines 4-Yellow and 5-Lilac are still in operation, as well as CPTM trains. However, transfers to lines 2-Green and 3-Red will remain closed at both Metro and CPTM stations. The three lines affected by the strike account for 90% of the 2.8 million passengers transported per day by the entire São Paulo Metro. Operation PAESE, which operates free buses in certain emergency cases, is not in operation. As a result of the strike, the City of São Paulo announced that the municipal vehicle rotation will be suspended throughout Thursday.
On social networks, users report frustration with the stoppage of activities and crowds in front of the stations of people who were not aware of the strike. Due to the strike, the Military Police reported that it is intensifying ostensive preventive policing in the main road corridors, subway stations and bus terminals. CPTM, which operates normally, records crowding and long queues to access the turnstiles. In a note sent to Young panthe São Paulo Metrô declares that it will activate its contingency plan to guarantee the minimum functioning of the system and counts on “the good sense of the category so as not to harm the transport of millions of people”.
“Metrô understands that there is no justification for the Union of Subway Workers to declare a strike claiming what has already been fulfilled by the company, and such an attitude only harms the population that depends on public transport”, stated the company. The company claims that it “made every effort” to meet the union’s demands and justifies that the current economic reality “does not allow the payment of salary bonuses at this time”. “The company had significant drops in revenue due to the pandemic and has not yet had a full return on passenger demand, compared to 2019,” the statement said.
Among the demands of the Union of Subways of São Paulo are the end of outsourcing and the hiring of new employees to reduce the deficit of employees generated in recent years. Workers also ask for the payment of salary bonuses for recent years. The strike had already been scheduled for more than a week, but had been postponed after a hearing at the Regional Labor Court (TRT). Check below the positioning of the São Paulo Metro in full:
“Metrô understands that there is no justification for the Union of Subway Workers to declare a strike claiming what has already been fulfilled by the company, and such an attitude only harms the population that depends on public transport.
Metrô made every effort to meet the demands of the Union, in accordance with the economic reality of the Company. This reality does not allow the payment of a salary bonus at this time, since the company has had significant drops in revenue due to the pandemic and has not yet had a full return on passenger demand, compared to 2019.
Even so, the company fully complies with the Collective Bargaining Agreement and with the rule established for the salary progression policy for its employees. It also exceptionally granted career progression higher than the rule established for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Metrô will activate its contingency plan to guarantee the minimum functioning of the system and counts on the common sense of the category so as not to harm the transport of millions of people.
It is important to point out that the Company has increased the salaries of its employees by 20% in the last 2 years, while the minimum wage has increased by 17%. While most companies fired or reduced wages, Metrô increased wages, even with the damage caused by the pandemic. The average salary of a Metrô employee with bonus for length of service is R$ 10,000 and, if we add the meal and food vouchers here, the value reaches R$ 11,500, in addition to other above-average benefits, much in addition to those required by the CLT, such as supplementary pension, health plan without monthly fee, 100% overtime (CLT determines 50%), night shift bonus of 50% (CLT determines 20%), vacation allowance of approximately 70% (CLT determines 1/3), bonus for length of service 1% of base salary per year worked; salary supplement for those on leave and daycare/education aid of R$854 and daycare/education aid for children with disabilities of R$1,700, among others, which is not the current reality of more than 90% of the Brazilian population”.