Workers at EPE (Energy Research Company) denounced that the management of the state-owned company, linked to the MME (Ministry of Mines and Energy), ordered the deduction of days not worked by striking workers even though the negotiation process is still underway at the TRT-1 (Regional Labor Court of the 1st Region).
The category states that the act represents a break in the dialogue environment established with the Court and claims that the decision was communicated unilaterally on the morning of this Monday (1st) without prior notice.
In a statement, EPE emphasized that there was no breakdown in dialogue and that the discounts follow the understanding of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) that a strike in the public service suspends the employment contract and remuneration, except in cases of compensation agreements.
According to the state-owned company, with the mediation concluded—a decision that, according to the company, stemmed from a resolution passed by the employees themselves at an assembly—there would no longer be a legal basis to maintain the suspension of the deductions.
EPE further stated that after days of work stoppage, "added to the express rejection of the company's final proposal and the agreement with the labor dispute, any legal avenue for postponing the deductions has been exhausted, under penalty of constituting irregular use of public funds, with potential personal liability for the managers."
Workers' strike
EPE workers have been on strike since October, protesting the loss of purchasing power caused by salary adjustments that the category considers to be below inflation.
The mobilizations began with short work stoppages and intensified over the weeks until, in November, the group launched an indefinite strike.
During the strike, EPE filed a collective labor dispute and requested an injunction to guarantee the maintenance of a minimum contingent of employees, with the objective of ensuring the continuity of activities considered essential.
In late November, at the request of the mediator from the TRT-1 (Regional Labor Court of the 1st Region), the workers decided to temporarily suspend the strike, opening the way for a new attempt at conciliation between the parties.
However, this week, even with mediation still underway, EPE informed employees that the days on strike would be deducted from their pay. This measure generated criticism from the workers, who described the decision as a breakdown in dialogue.
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