The Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) assured today that it adheres to the company agreement regarding the reimbursement of travel expenses for the temporary transfer of employees between branches, which has prompted a union complaint.
“According to Caixa’s interpretation, whenever employees are temporarily assigned to another branch, regardless of the duration, the stipulations in item b) of number 9 of clause 44 [mobility] apply, whereby the company will cover travel expenses: ‘In cases where the use of public transportation schedules is impossible or inadequate, employees using their own vehicles will be reimbursed 25% of the rate set in clause 61, number 1, item d)’,” an official source from the public bank stated.
As stated in a written note sent to the Lusa news agency, clause 61 (travel expenses), item d), specifies this rate as 0.50 euros per kilometer (km), leading to a reimbursement rate of 0.125 euros per km for temporary transfers (mobility).
This response from CGD follows the announcement by the Sindicato dos Trabalhadores das Empresas do Grupo Caixa Geral de Depósitos that it has initiated legal action against the bank for violating the terms of the company agreement, accusing the management of breaching the collective agreement “in terms of increased travel expenses” during temporary worker transfers.
In the statement released today, the union argues that “over the years, in temporary workplace transfers, CGD has always covered the increased expenses for private vehicle use, when public transport usage was incompatible, as established in the company agreement, i.e., 0.50 euros per kilometer.”
Contrarily, the union states, “CGD unilaterally decided to apply the regime of permanent transfers to temporary ones, i.e., 0.125 euros per kilometer, contradicting and inexplicably distorting the good faith spirit with which the clauses were mutually agreed upon.”
Describing this change as “abusive and illegal,” the union claims it has “caused serious financial harm” to workers and created “management difficulties for personnel hierarchies.”
“The amount paid by the company for temporary workplace transfers is insufficient to cover the real expenses incurred by these workers, particularly in areas with inadequate public transport coverage or in the country’s interior, where branches are tens of kilometers apart,” it adds.
Additionally, the union accuses CGD of violating the company agreement’s stipulations regarding prior notice of workplace transfers, asserting that workers “are frequently transferred without the required and obligatory prior written notification.”
In response to this matter, Caixa clarifies that it is also stipulated in clause 44 (mobility), number 5, “that the company must provide written notice of transfer at least 30 days in advance,” ensuring that the bank “always meets this notice requirement unless there is an agreement on the transfer.”
