Brazil's highest labor court has ordered the state postal company Correios to keep 80% of its staff working during a strike by its employees. The ruling came on Saturday (12), two days after the walkout began, and the court will hear the collective labor dispute on September 21.
The order came from Vieira de Mello Filho, president of the Superior Labor Court, known as TST. He partially granted an urgent request by the company, which calls the strike abusive and had turned to the court to secure minimum staffing. In his view, the postal service is essential and the stoppage threatens the 2026 elections, with the campaign already underway.
"The essential activity carried out by the claimant takes on greater weight given the commitments it has assumed with public and private entities tied to the 2026 election, whose campaign period is underway, which aggravates the strike's impact on society," the minister wrote.
How the 80% rule works
According to InfoMoney, the minimum covers service, mail processing, transport, distribution and administrative units indispensable to the postal chain. One detail tightens the rule: the 80% is measured unit by unit and, where applicable, shift by shift, with no offsetting between teams. A fully staffed branch cannot cover for one that stops.
Why workers walked out
Workers went on strike on Thursday (10), after talks on the 2025/2026 collective agreement broke down. According to Findect, the federation of postal and telecom workers, the hardest sticking point is the health plan covering employees, retirees and their families. The unions also oppose the company's restructuring plan, which would close branches and cut postal districts, and reject any attempt to blame workers for the company's financial crisis.
Correios said in a statement that it activated a business continuity plan, moving administrative employees into operations, reassigning vehicles and running task forces to keep deliveries flowing. The branch network remains open to the public, according to the company.
The financial scoreboard pressures both sides. Correios posted a 5.4 billion reais loss in the first half of the year and expects the release this week of a 7 billion reais bank loan backed by the National Treasury, InfoMoney reports. Until the court rules on the collective dispute, scheduled for September 21 at 1:30 pm, the sides can still reach a settlement.