After a meeting with the management of Santander Totta, in which organizations say the bank was “irreducible” in the dismissal of 210 people, the unions decided to go ahead with a strike, which will also cover BCP.

In the same note, the Mais Union, SBN - Union of Financial Sector Workers, Union of Central Bankers (affiliated with UGT), Synaf (linked to CGTP), National Union of Banking Staff and Technicians and Independent Banking Union (independent) they indicated that “in view of the position taken today by the administration of Banco Santander Totta (BST) regarding the collective dismissal, in everything similar to that of the BCP, the six unions of bank workers decided to call a simultaneous strike in both banks”.

This stoppage also counts on the solidarity of the STEC – Union of Workers of the CGD Group Companies, according to the union structures.

"From now on, the law establishes that the Workers' Commissions are legally competent to participate in the current stage of the process, and all questions must be addressed to them", reads the statement.

Even so, "the unions are prepared to intervene, so and if the process moves forward", they indicated, adding that "members must send to the respective legal services all the formulations that are sent to the CNT, so that they can be provided with the essential elements to the full knowledge of the process”.

“These unions call on all BST and BCP workers to participate in the strike to be held at the respective institution. This is a cause that concerns all bankers. It doesn't just affect some of us. The time has come for bank employees to make their voice heard in the uncompromising defense of their rights and jobs”, they concluded.

Santander Totta wants 685 workers to leave. The bank's official source told Lusa last week that the departure with more than 400 workers has already been agreed (early retirements and terminations by mutual agreement). There were 230 employees with whom it had not reached an agreement, so they could be covered by dismissal, but the number is not definitive as the process is not closed.

On the other hand, BCP announced last week that it will make a collective dismissal of 62 workers, according to a message from the executive president to the bank's employees, which Lusa had access to.

As for other exits, the bank reached an agreement with around 700 workers to leave for termination by mutual agreement, early retirement and pre-retirement.

The unions have accused the banks of labor repression and blackmailing workers, considering that they are forcing them to leave through terminations (without access to unemployment benefits) or through early retirement. This while having high profits, they add.

BCP had profits of 12.3 million euros in the first half (84% less than in the same period in 2020) and Santander Totta 81.4 million euros (52.9%) less.