On Bankers Day here we are celebrating a date that is very special for us in the midst of a pandemic that changes labour-relations and alters living conditions, imposing a harsh and unprecedented reality on workers and families.
It is a difficult context, which requires, with its various consequences, from the mildest to the extreme, to a broad reflection on the importance of solidarity. Never has it been so necessary for us to strengthen the feeling of concern with others, to establish means of social coexistence that really prioritize the collective interest. The moment is historic and demands from those who work in the financial sector an attitude of courage and concern with others. Throughout the world, including Latin America and in Brazil, the opening of agencies even in the midst of the most dramatic times of the health crisis was fundamental to the lives of millions of people, especially the most needy classes.
When the only option left to the authorities was to recommend distancing, as social isolation, or as a strategy to prevent the circulation of a contagious and deadly virus, the banks decided to do their part. They returned to work and face-to-face service at the most dramatic moment, at the peak of the disease, so that the banking service would reach the hands of those who needed it most by really reaching out to the needs of the population.
Bankers’ Day, this August 28, 2020, therefore, calls for much more than a simple commemoration with respect to the symbolic weight of the date. It is an opportunity to thank the category that, tested on more than one occasion, shows its importance, solidarity and commitment to its own mission and to the public which is the reason for its existence.
José Jesus Trabulo de Sousa
President FELATRABS (Federación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores Bancarios de Seguros y Afines)
Origin Bankers’ Day in Brazil
On August 28, 1951, the São Paulo Bankers’ Union went on strike after receiving an insignificant salary readjustment proposal from the government. At the time, professionals asked for 40% wage improvement and better working conditions.
In other countries Banker’s Day is celebrated on alternative dates. Argentina, for example, celebrates this day on November 6.
