After agreement, workers at the Mineirão end strike action

The workers who were working on the refurbishment of the Mineirão stadium in Belo Horizonte have decided to resume their working activities as from the early hours of last Saturday (June 18) after three days of industrial action.

The agreement was reached at a hearing at the Regional Labor Court (Tribunal Regional do Trabalho - TRT). The Secretariat for the World Cup in Minas Gerais (Secopa-MG) and also Minas Arena, the consortium responsible for the refurbishment of the stadium, promised to comply with the requests of the workers, such as the payment of overtime and also a salary increase of 4%.

With the agreement, some 400 workers shall return to Pampulha this Monday (June 20) to resume work. The workers started their strike last Wednesday (June 15) seeking better working conditions. The complaints ranged from the lack of hot water in the showers to the lack of payment of overtime.

Workers even told the reporters of the 2014 Portal that the stoppage could have an adverse effect on the schedule for the work on the Mineirão, which until then had been one of the most advanced stadiums for the World Cup. 

Through a statement, the consortium stated that the conciliation agreement was signed between the people responsible for the stadium, the representatives from the Trade Union of Employees of Construction Industries in Belo Horizonte and Region (Sindicato dos Trabalhadores nas Indústrias de Construção de Belo Horizonte e Região - STIC-BH) and also the Trade Union of Employees of Heavy Construction Industries of the State of Minas Gerais (Sindicato dos Trabalhadores nas Indústrias de Construção Pesada de Minas Gerais - Siticop-MG).

According to Minas Arena, the workers that were absent during the three days of the strike shall compensate the lost time by carrying out extra work assignments, on eight-hour shifts, within a maximum of 60 days.