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Contact: lugares.mre@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
July 13,
2011
American Press
American Press
Press Release: Major
protests and imminent strike at Brazilian
foreign missions in 9 cities
tomorrow
Nationwide
strike would keep American citizens from
obtaining visas and consequently
entering
Brazil
,
the start of a diplomatic
crisis.
Staff
of Brazilian diplomatic missions in
the
United
States
will
begin a protest tomorrow, leading to a
strike. The strike would affect business
and leisure travelers as well as major
companies with close ties
with
Brazil
.
The
movement to close Brazilian missions
in
the United
States and
eventually around the world will
also impact the country's ability to
process the increasing number of
visa requests from travelers looking
to
Brazil
for
the 2014 World Cup and the 2016
Summer
Olympics.
WHAT: Employees
of Brazilian foreign missions will
protest for labor
rights.
WHEN: Protests
will begin tomorrow July 14, 2011;
the day of strike and shutdown, to
be announced
(TBA).
WHERE :
Consulate-General
of Brazil in
Atlanta
Consulate-General
of Brazil in
Boston
Consulate-General
of Brazil in
Hartford
Consulate-General
of Brazil in
Houston
Consulate-General
of Brazil in
Los
Angeles
Consulate-General
of Brazil in
Miami
Consulate-General
of Brazil in
San
Francisco
Consulate-General
of Brazil in
New
York
Consulate-General
of Brazil in
Washington
DC
WHO: Brazilian
consulate agents in
the
United
States
find
themselves in an unprecedented “legal
limbo” due to complex labor laws
pertaining to the profession. It is
unclear which labor laws should be
enforced, or which framework (Brazilian
or American) is used by Brazilian
diplomatic missions. Currently “the rule
of convenience” is being followed.
Whichever set of rules is most
beneficial to the employer, those are
the ones imposed. The lack of
understanding on both sides has left
room for innumerous abuses at Brazilian
diplomatic offices
nationwide.
Employee grievances
include the lack of basic employment rights and
privileges such as: workers compensation,
unemployment insurance, collective bargaining
rights, social security, and overtime pay. In
addition, consulate agents are required to work
unpaid weekends, while some are given the task
of monitoring the consulate's 24 hour emergency
hotline without pay.
In
an effort to seek protection from
wrongful employment practices, over
600 employees of Brazilian
diplomatic posts from around the
world - including 10 posts, 365
employees in the Unites States -
have signed a petition addressed
to
Brazil
’s
President Dilma Rousseff asking for
better working conditions and
requesting that officials protect
the rights of locally hired
staff.
###
PRESS RELEASE - Operation Wake-Up Call
Local
employees at the Brazilian
Diplomatic Mission have begun a
peaceful protest entitled 'Operation
Wake-Up Call'. Reaching out to more
than 400 personnel in 27 Brazilian
Missionary Posts in 10 countries,
this number keeps
growing .
“ Operation
Wake-Up Call ”
has been planned in phases; we've sent
correspondence to Brazilian President
Mrs. Dilma Roussef on May 5th, 2011.
Initially the letter has been signed by
204 local employees in the USA, the
largest number in history. A copy of the
letter can be found separately. Days
passed and similar letters have been
sent by Brazilian Missionary Posts in
the UK and Germany, while others are
being prepared.
In 1995, Decree 1,570
(a local law) was in effect, giving labor
jurisdiction to the countries where the posts
were located. These labor rules are not the same
as those in the Brazilian constitution. While
the theory seemed fine, practice has changed a
lot. Upper management at the Brazilian
Diplomatic Mission puts in action what is most
convenient, oscillating between the local rules
and the Brazilian laws. Local personnel are left
in limbo with no protection.
A good example is the
mandatory contribution to an equivalent
Brazilian Social Security, INSS (Instituto
Nacional de Seguridade Social) by all employees
in the US who are not American citizens. We all
contribute with the maximum deduction, but are
only entitled to retirement pay, nothing else.
The INSS has informed everyone that the benefit
can be used, but the local laws don't guarantee
it.
Another example is
the complete ignorance regarding the “13th month
salary,” a common practice under Brazilian law.
In the USA, the local employees have no rights
to such a benefit, since salaries are paid on a
weekly or bi-weekly basis. The salary is
calculated on a monthly basis so it is divided
into 4 weeks. Since the year has 52 weeks and
not 48, local employees will be missing a full
month of pay. The management does not follow the
local laws, nor the Brazilian ones.
There are many
examples to be cited, all related to work laws
and regulations. There are no clear rules or
work agreements with transparent regulatory
laws, indicating a foreign or Brazilian
overrule. All cases are studied and resolved on
an individual basis; workers have no
protection.
We are looking for
our rights in labor laws, as we feel left out by
our own country. We are under the impression
that no one wants to set the rules on
regulations in the Diplomatic Brazilian
Missions.
We are hoping for the
Brazilian government to listen to our appeal and
reflect upon our situation. We also have the
option to go on a 24-hour standoff, although it
may not be necessary should the government
respond to our request.
We do not intend to
harm the routine in these 30 posts; our solemn
intention is to open up a dialogue with our
employer and resolve the issue in
question.
Operation wake up
call - 600 members, :
- Brazilian Embassy in Washington
- UN Mission - in New York, OEA Mission - in Washington
- Consulate General of Brazil in New York, Washington, Boston, Hartford, Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco.
- Brazilian Embassy in Paris
- Consulate General of Brazil in Paris
- Brazilian Embassy in London
- Consulate General of Brazil in London
- Brazilian Embassy in Berlin
- Consulate General of Brazil in Frankfurt and Munchen
- Brazilian Embassy in Bern
- Consulate General of Brazil in Geneva
- Brazilian Embassy in Dublin
- Consulate General of Brazil in Barcelona
- Brazilian Embassy in Ama - Jordan
- Consulate General of Brazil in Mexico
- Brazilian Embassy in Ottawa
- Consulate General of Brazil in Montreal
- Brazilian Financial Office in New York
- Brazilian Embassy in Rome
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