Rio Bus Drivers Hold Indefinite Strike as Court Orders Half the Fleet to Run

Overview

• The drivers began an indefinite strike at 0h Monday, seeking a R$4,000 floor for conventional buses, R$5,000 for articulated vehicles and a 17% total wage rise paid in two installments.
• The Tribunal Regional do Trabalho da 1ª Região ruled the stoppage legal but ordered at least 50% of buses on each line to circulate and banned hiring temporary drivers or dismissals to break the strike.
• Employers represented by Rio Ônibus say operators face severe financial strain, offered roughly 4.39% in raises, blamed delayed municipal subsidies and asked for stricter minimum-service levels.
• Commuters have experienced long lines, overcrowded vehicles and much longer journeys as the union rejected a conciliatory proposal that would have suspended the strike without resolving pay-day discounts.
• Negotiations continue at the TRT-1 with unresolved questions about whether employers may deduct pay for missed days, the application of future penalties if the order is flouted and how to bridge fiscal claims with the union's demands.