Written in BRAZIL in 09/30/2022 00:47

The Caixa Econômica Federal sexual and moral harassment scandal has ended three months since the first complaints were discovered, and the National Federation of Caixa Staff Associations (Fenae) is still awaiting a response to a letter sent to the president of the state bank. , Danielle Marquez. In the document, Fenaeh demands information about the specific results of Kaisha’s investigations.

As the Federation notes, 90 days after the start of the revelations [em 28 de junho] – which led to the fall of the then president of the institution, Pedro Guimarães – the bank and the government only opened internal disciplinary proceedings. So far, however, neither Guimarães nor other top managers accused of harassment by dozens of victims have been harmed.

“Since June 28, 2022, Caixa Econômica Federal employees have been living in deep fear and anxiety,” the letter, signed by Fenae President Sergio Takemoto, underlined. “(…) the ongoing investigation cannot be forgotten,” says the document, also addressed to the chairman of the board of directors (CA) of the state-owned company, Rogerio Rodriguez Bimbi.

Sergio Takemoto points out that in Brazil, sexual harassment is a crime defined in article 216-A of the Criminal Code, punishable by one to two years in prison. “If the guilt is found and proven, you will not be able to “put your hand on your head” just because you are the former president of the bank. If he is guilty, he must be held accountable under ordinary justice for what he did, since sexual harassment is a crime punishable by the Penal Code. In addition, labor law also provides for compensation for damages caused to victims,” he adds.

The political use of the box is During this period of waiting for a response from the bank to allegations of harassment, there were new situations of political use of a state-owned company in the middle of the election campaign. On the 12th, the Caixa Board of Directors called a press conference to release data on the Caixa Pra Elas program. For Caixa employee and labor leader Rafael de Castro of the National Confederation of Financial Workers (Contraf-CUT), the program was used to campaign for President Jair Bolsonaro.

The director notes that on this occasion, the bank announced an increase in card sales by 65%. [para o público feminino]. According to the director, from the beginning of August to the middle of this month, about 60,000 calls were made related to the products included in the Caixa Pra Elas basket.

“That gives an average of 15 calls to a bank branch: less than one call per day,” he explains. “The numbers tend to increase as employees are required to meet goals,” says Castro.

Another case – Rafael de Castro also draws attention to the news regarding other allies of the current president. This is the case of Deputy Leader of the Government in the House, MP Ubirathan Sanderson (LP). Although a Caixa staff member reached out to a parliamentarian back in 2020, detailing situations in which Pedro Guimarães could harass her, the deputy leader [que é policial federal de carreira] did not initiate a case because, according to him, he was waiting for the victim to “return with evidence”.

“The deputy fled from the testimony of the victim. He preferred to leave the complaint unaddressed and demand evidence in the case, which, as you know, is done in such a way that no traces are left,” the leader criticizes.