Brazil seaports braced for indefinite work-to-rule by unionised customs officials

Brazilian customs workers are going on national “strike” with a likely impact on all the country’s seaports, according to energy and commodities information website platts.com.

The action should begin on Wednesday after an implementation decision by the National Union of Customs Officials (National Sindifisco) on Tuesday.

It is intended to achieve better pay and working conditions for customs officers.

While called a strike it is not a total walkout or shutdown, being instead a “standard operation” strike which, effectively, is a work to rule.

In this case only the minimum number of permitted staff will be working and they could check more items of freight than they usually would, which almost certainly will lead to a slowdown in processing ships’ cargo.

The action is open ended.