Strike at CGD. Union speaks of hundreds of closed agencies. Bank says membership is “not very significant”

Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) had previously argued that this Friday’s strike shows the “politicization” of union structures, considering that it only happens because it is the State bank, according to a statement released by the institution.

“CGD regrets that the unions decided to carry out a strike during the negotiation period, when Caixa approved, for all active, pre-retired and retired employees, an average salary update of 3.25%, in anticipation of the review that will be agreed upon in the negotiation processes which, we emphasize, are ongoing”, he highlighted.

For the bank led by Paulo Macedo, “called for a day when the country is in the middle of an electoral campaign, this strike demonstrates the politicization on the part of union structures”, pointed out the public bank, regretting that it happens “in the normal course of a process negotiation, and after holding just three negotiation meetings, in which CGD improved its proposal and was awaiting a new proposal from the unions”.

“When the known proposals are 2.5% (Crédito Agrícola), 2.125% (Millennium bcp) and 2% (Santander, NB, BPI, Montepio, Barclays and BBVA, among others)”, the unions “understood to devalue the negotiations through advance notice of a strike that only takes place at Caixa, harming only State bank customers”, he lamented.

“The path taken by Caixa in recent years has consolidated the conditions for us today to have a relevant CGD in the national banking sector, with financial health that is unparalleled in this century”, he guaranteed.

According to CGD, its improved profitability “enables the full payment of the recapitalization, which was targeted in 2017, in the very short term” and allows, he assured, “to have a salary scale that is around 20% higher than that of the sector and have a minimum total gross monthly remuneration of 1,519 euros, and an average of 2,717 euros”.

The bank also pointed to young people, who “had their lowest scholarships increased by 7.8%”, adding that “an intern, with the new meal allowance, receives between 1,511 euros and 1,711 euros”.

CGD “prepared itself to minimize the impact that this strike could have”, ensuring that “the overwhelming majority of its branches will be open and functioning” and that “telephone services have been reinforced so that they can clarify any queries to customers during the hours of the strike”.

“We remember that, in recent years, there has been a consensus with the majority of unions”, said CGD, highlighting that it believes that “the proposal presented values ​​the disposable income of employees and promotes the improvement of the living conditions of all its workers and retirees, and that is why he considers that this strike only takes place because it is the State bank”, he concluded.

CGD workers are on strike this Friday against salary increases of 3.25% that the unions consider “derisory” given the cost of living and profits that will have reached 1,000 million euros.

The strike was initially called by the CGD Group Companies Workers’ Union (STEC), after the public bank had revised its salary update proposal slightly, from 3% to 3.25%, then considering the STEC (which asked for 5 .9% with a minimum of 110 euros) that these are “derisory and absurd” increases.

The strike call was later joined by the unions Mais Sindicato, SBN, SBC, Sintaf and SNQTB