Bus company stoppage affects passengers in the South Zone of SP

A strike by workers at Viação Grajaú, one of the public transport operators in São Paulo, affected thousands of passengers in the south zone of São Paulo, on the morning of this Monday (9). Viação Grajaú reported that the strike movement is due to a political dispute within the drivers’ union. “The opposition of the garage’s current union leadership, intending to win over some supporters, promoted the stoppage due to the dismissal, without just cause, of three employees who, due to the nature of the dismissal, will receive all the labor rights to which they are entitled”. SPTrans ( São Paulo Transporte S/A), which manages the public transport system by bus in the city of São Paulo, informed that it regrets the delays practiced on 39 lines of Viação Grajaú without prior notice to passengers, harming the population since midnight half past Monday (9). “The concessionaire is being fined automatically for trips that were not made. SPTrans activated the Paese system to transport passengers on these lines”, he informed in a note. The Paese System – Support Plan between Companies in an Emergency Situation is called upon to offer transport options to passengers on the bus and metro-railway systems when there is an interruption in the operation. The Union of Drivers and Collectors of the city of São Paulo (Sindimotoristas) reported that about a thousand workers from Viação Grajaú are participating in the protest against undue dismissals, among other matters. According to Sindmotoristas Health Secretary, Valdemir de Jesus Santos, the claims are old and the company has ignored the professionals’ appeal. “There was the unjustified dismissal of three former employees of the company, one of them with more than 42 years of career. In addition, there is an excess of undue punishments, in addition to complaints about the health plan offered to workers, non-payment of holidays, discounts for certificates signed by doctors at Health Centers, among others”, explained the director. According to Sindimotoristas, there is no forecast for normalization of the service. Viação Grajaú informed that it will file a lawsuit with the Labor Court. The affected lines serve the south zone towards the Center and neighborhoods such as Santo Amaro, Grajaú and Varginha.

Agência Brasil