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.