Employees of Caixa Econômica Federal began an open-ended national strike on Thursday, 10 September, after workers at 93 union bases voted to halt activities in rejection of the state-owned bank's proposed collective labour agreement, while Banco do Brasil faced a partial shutdown as 27 unions joined the walkout. The stoppage at Caixa is national. The Executive Employees' Commission said more than 90% of union bases rejected the terms Caixa presented for its institution-specific agreement. Both banks directed customers to digital and remote channels, including mobile applications, internet banking, banking correspondents and telephone service.
The dispute centres on the cost-sharing structure of the employee health plans at Brazil's two largest federal banks, an issue that was not resolved by the sector-wide settlement signed one day earlier. The National Bank Workers' Command and Fenaban, the national banking federation, signed a collective bargaining convention on Wednesday, 9 September, covering 2026 to 2028 and running until 31 August 2028. That agreement applies to roughly 414,000 bank employees and provides for full restoration of INPC consumer price inflation accumulated from September 2025 to August 2026, plus a real increase of 0.6% in 2026, with the same real-gain formula applied in 2027. The signature of the umbrella convention did not close the separate negotiations at Caixa, where employees rejected the renewal proposal outright.
HEALTH PLAN COSTS AT THE CENTRE OF THE IMPASSE
At Caixa, employees currently contribute 3.5% of their base convention salary to the Saúde Caixa health plan, plus 480 reais a month for each dependent, rising to 800 reais for dependents aged between 24 and 27. The bank's proposal would have raised the salary contribution to 5.5%, increased the standard dependent charge to 870 reais and lifted the charge for older dependents to 1,050 reais a month. Union representatives identified this repricing as the principal obstacle in the talks, which had run for more than two months over 13 rounds.
Negotiations resumed in São Paulo on Wednesday, but Caixa did not table a revised offer at that session. The bank committed to a further round on Thursday morning, and union guidance is that the strike continue until any new proposal is submitted back to the assemblies. In a statement, Caixa said it keeps dialogue open with employee representative bodies and remains committed to renewing the collective agreement, with the stated objective of reaching an understanding that accommodates the interests of all parties, employee valuation, institutional sustainability and continuity of service to the public.
BANCO DO BRASIL SPLIT ALONG UNION LINES
At Banco do Brasil the response fragmented. Thirty-nine unions approved the bank's proposal, which included an advance of 360 million reais of the bank's employer contribution to keep the Cassi health plan's minimum reserves through November; those bases included São Paulo, Curitiba, Campo Grande, Niterói and Jundiaí. Sixty unions rejected the offer and opted to reopen negotiations, among them Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Pernambuco and Florianópolis. A further 27 unions voted to strike from Thursday, including Belo Horizonte, Bahia, Ceará and Piauí. Banco do Brasil said it participates in the unified Fenaban negotiating table alongside all banks and maintains a separate table for its own staff demands, and that several rounds of talks preceded the proposal approved in assemblies across the country.
The INPC reading that determines the headline pay adjustment for the wider category was due for release on Friday, 11 September. Employee demands at Caixa also include the application of Brazil's NR-1 workplace health and safety regulation and curbs on abusive sales targets.
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