A major strike by Brazilian customs auditors has officially come to an end, following a legal ruling on 9 June.
The action began in November last year, causing large backlogs of unprocessed goods at ports and customs facilities around the country.
The judge’s ruling said while workers have a right to strike, ongoing customs work was essential to the smooth running of the country. If customs union Sindifisco Nacional fails to comply, it faces daily fines of R$500,000 (US$90,000).
Laura Ganon, CEO of FINK Mobility, said: ‘The lengthy suspension of the Federal Revenue Service in Brazil had an impact on all import/export Brazilian operations and, while we were able to clear all our shipments, the strike generated additional port storage costs and clearance was slower than normal.’
She added that although the impact on shipments of household goods was not significant ‘for sensitive loads, such as those related to events or with high cultural value, we have to organise logistics earlier than usual and, in some cases, call in the tax emergency customs team, to secure priority services.’
Jason Lacayo, account manager at Transworld Brazil, said the company had mainly experienced delays in customs clearance, port handling and domestic freight.
‘We experienced some disruptions in our timelines, particularly for international shipments transiting through affected areas,’ he said. ‘Our team activated contingency plans, including proactive communication with clients to manage expectations and provide updated delivery timelines; rerouting shipments where possible to less affected ports and airports; and close coordination with agents and partners to expedite processes once operations resumed.’