Representatives of the Association of Bank Employees of Uruguay (AEBU), held a meeting with the person in charge of Human Resources of Banco Citibank, and the dismissal of the 16 workers was confirmed. But in addition, according to the union, he rejected the possibility of reconsidering the situation.
The employees who will be fired, according to what was reported by AEBU, “were in charge of offshore operations that were transferred to Insigneo for a multimillion dollar figure. The official justified the position with the argument that such a decision was made in directive areas located outside our country, and that it was not in her power to change what was resolved at high levels.
Walter Tabeira, Press Secretary of the Council of the Private Financial Sector, pointed out to Portal AEBU that “the position of firing workers without any kind of consideration spills over into this conflict and transfers it to the rest of the financial system.” He added that “Fighting measures and actions are already being increased, with propaganda in banks, on public roads, on the networks —in Uruguay and abroad—, with mobilizations at the headquarters of this bank in South America. At the same time, Citibank’s decision to throw workers out on the streets is being denounced at the political level in Uruguay,” he added.
The leader affirmed that “this conflict is viewed by the union as having an extended nature over time and for this reason surprising measures will be carried out, staggered and ascending in their impacts.” Tabeira said that Citibank, in its public balance delivered to the Central Bank, had a net profit of almost US$ 16 million in 2021, so that the situation raised “is not due to any economic hardship and that, rather, it has a lot of persecution of the organization of workers”.
Within the framework of the dispute, AEBU made last Saturday 4 a poster sticker in the surroundings of the Stella Maris parish in Carrasco and in the Arocena area —from Gral. Rivera avenue to the Rambla—, where the construction of the Citibank’s new headquarters. This propaganda task was complemented by a vehicle with a loudspeaker that traveled through the area.
It should be remembered that the Association of Bank Employees of Uruguay (AEBU) reported last Monday, May 30 through a statement, that the financial sector of private banking declared itself in conflict. This was as a result of the fact that Citibank had announced the sale to Insigneo of the brokerage business of CIFS (Citi International Financial Services), in Montevideo and in the Free Zone. For this measure, 16 workers will be fired.
The conflict measure is “until a negotiation table is installed to deal with this situation,” they pointed out from the Association. “As a first union measure – encompassing all affiliates in private banks – no overtime, transfers, schedule changes or training will be carried out and work hours will be strictly complied with,” announced the statement issued 8 days ago.
