Brazilian bank workers go on wage strike

Bank workers across the country went on strike Thursday for higher pay.

Workers in 20 of Brazil's 26 states plus the capital district of Brasilia are demanding a wage increase of 11.77 percent, which they say is justified amid record earnings by Brazil's banks. There are 400,000 bank workers in Brazil.

The banks have offered a 4 percent raise plus a one-time bonus for most workers of 1,000 Brazilian reals, or US$439.

President Marcio Cypriano of the Brazilian Bankers Federation, or Febraban, said the federation was open to negotiations, but no new talks were scheduled early Thursday.

Bank workers in September held a 24-hour strike, but there was little impact on financial markets or ordinary banking activities. Much routine banking today is done electronically or by Internet, the AP reports.