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Sudden Closure of Factory in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba Sparks Dispute Over Severance Pay, Length of Service and Transition Involving UPI Linked to Bankruptcy Recovery.
The closure of the Dipro do Brasil unit in São José dos Pinhais, in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, resulted in the dismissal of 330 workers and led employees and family members to set up a camp in front of the factory to demand guarantees of payment for severance pay and outstanding amounts.
The mobilization began on January 5, 2026, the date when, according to reports from the Metalworkers Union of Greater Curitiba (SMC), the employees were informed of the termination of activities and of collective layoffs, with no immediate clarity on deadlines and conditions for the payment of rights.
Located in the Colônia Murici area, an industrial zone of the municipality, the plant operated in the electrical conductor segment, linked to the production of cables and components used in construction and infrastructure networks, and has become the center of a dispute involving contractual history, bankruptcy recovery, and the purchase of a Isolated Productive Unit (UPI).
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Closure of Dipro do Brasil and Collective Dismissal in São José dos Pinhais
Since the announcement of the closure, workers have remained at the factory entrance with a goal that goes beyond protest, according to the union and reports published by local outlets: to prevent the removal of machines, equipment, and materials before an agreement on the severances.
In the assessment presented by the SMC, the ongoing presence at the gate seeks to preserve assets that could serve as a guarantee if the company fails to fulfill the payments, especially since some employees claim to have amounts and benefits pending since December 2025.
The union also stated that, throughout the negotiations, there were signals of partial deposits on a date indicated by the union itself, while the main demand remained focused on formalizing the agreement and ensuring that commitments would be fully met.
In an update published on January 16, 2026, the SMC reported that the camp marked ten days the day before, on January 15, emphasizing that the mobilization began after workers reported being “caught by surprise” by the announcement of closure and massive layoffs.
Camp at the Factory and Fear of Removal of Machines and Materials
The most sensitive point of the impasse is the period that should be recognized for calculating severance pay, as the difference can significantly alter the final amount to be received, especially among employees with long tenures at the same unit.
The union argues that many workers were already linked to the former Conduspar, a company that entered bankruptcy recovery in 2023, and that the transition to Dipro occurred with continuity of the employment contract, without formal dismissal and rehiring.
In this view, the time of service should be counted in full, combining the years prior to bankruptcy recovery, which would enlarge rights associated with vacations, notice periods, and other items that depend on the contract’s history.
The version attributed by the SMC to the company, on the other hand, is that Dipro would defend the payment of severance considering only the period from the start of operations under its management, which would reduce the recognition of length of service for some employees.
Dispute Over Length of Service and Calculation of Severance Pay
In a statement reproduced by regional outlets, Dipro do Brasil stated that the closure of activities results from the <strong consensual termination of the purchase contract of an Isolated Productive Unit linked to Conduspar, citing economic and financial difficulties as the backdrop for the decision.
According to the released statement, the company declared that there were no wage delays and that severance payments would be made in full within legal deadlines, with oversight from the union representing the category in the region.
The case occurs in a context where Conduspar, traditional in the sector, underwent bankruptcy recovery, and had assets linked to the operation and brand negotiated as UPI, a modality provided for in insolvency legislation and often used to enable productive continuity or reorganization of companies in crisis.
This history gained new contours because the discussion is now not limited to the business rationale for the closure, but also to what the transition between Conduspar and Dipro meant, in practice, for the workers’ bond and for the correct way to calculate the settlement.
UPI in the Bankruptcy Recovery of Conduspar and Alleged Reason for Closure
In collective dismissals, tension tends to rise when workers do not receive, immediately, a verifiable payment schedule, along with the necessary documents to release their FGTS and enable unemployment insurance claims when the legal requirements are met.
Labor legislation provides for, in layoffs without just cause, the payment of salary balance, notice pay when applicable, proportional vacations, and 13th salary, as well as regularization of FGTS and delivery of documentation, but the specific amount depends on the type of termination and the contract’s history.
Therefore, the controversy over continuity of the bond between the Conduspar phase and the Dipro phase has become decisive, as any divergence in this recognition changes calculation bases and can alter the total amount owed, especially for those who have many years in the same plant.
While the company claims it will conduct the process within the rules and under union oversight, workers assert that remaining on site serves as an instrument of pressure and caution, in an attempt to prevent goods from being removed before the settlement is secured.
The trend from here is that the solution may involve the presentation of termination documents, payment receipts, and formal definition of the classification of the bond during the transition, in addition to potential actions by competent authorities, such as Labor Justice, should disagreements persist.
Payment of Severance, FGTS, and Documents: What Delays the Exit
When an industrial closure affects hundreds of families at once and places the length of service in the center of the dispute, what concrete guarantees do you consider essential for employees to feel secure before leaving the factory and ending the mobilization?
Essa empresa não tem dinheiro pra pagar os funcionários e diz que está quebrada mas já descobriram que ela pertence ao Connect Global Group que detém mais 5 empresas, entre elas a Elétrica AREA, a menor unidade do grupo empresarial. Recentemente a AREA acertou patrocínio com o Sport Club Corinthians Paulista. Segundo o site Trivela, “o contrato é válido até dezembro de 2025 e renderá R$ 10 milhões ao Timão durante o período. A quantia corresponde a R$ 666 mil mensais”. (simec.com.br)
Fazueli.
Faz o M de Milei. Nenhuma empresa grande fugiu para o Paraguai.
Karsten, Riachuelo e Lupo por exemplo abriram filiais no Paraguai o que é bem diferente. As fabricas dessas empresas continuam todas no mesmo lugar e operando.
Já na Argentina o Milei e as suas políticas desastradas e inconsequentes resultaram na perda de poder aquisitivo do argentino que não tem mais poder de compra e por sua vez na fuga massiva de empresas de grande porte do país que não tem mais mercado para os seus produtos. Entre as empresas que DESISTIRAM da Argentina do Milei ou estão reduzindo sua participação estão:
Saíram ou reduziram operações (2024-2025):
Varejo/Consumo/Serviços:
Carrefour (redução/reestruturação),
Walmart (saída),
Zara (saída).
OLX Autos
Alimentação:
Burger King (venda de operações),
Starbucks (redução).
Finaceiro:
HSBC (saída),
Banco Itaú (vendido).
Automotivo/Peças:
Mercedes-Benz (encerramento de fábrica própria),
Axalta
PPG.
Energia/Petróleo:
Petrobras,
ExxonMobil,
TotalEnergies,
Sinopec,
Raizen
Petronas
Enap Sipetrol
Outros:
Telefónica (saída),
Procter & Gamble (saída),
Glovo,
Nike,
Under Armour,
Hasbro.
Paramount
Norwegian Air Shuttle
Clorox
Eli Lilly
Não é o Paraná, assim como o sul o paraíso dos empregos. Fecha 330 e tem mais milhares vago devido ao bolsa família.
Cara deixa de ser B U R R O. Que família é que consegue viver com 600 reais???????????? Isso não paga nem o aluguel, agua e luz. Não sobra nem pra alimentação básica. Queria que você tentasse viver um só mês com essa M I S É R I A só pra você parar de repetir tanta B O B A G EM. Agora aquele empresário B O S T A que acha que pagando salário mínimo e exigindo tudo do trabalhador ainda quer reclamar que o cara vai procurar coisa melhor, esse tem que se F E R R A R mesmo e fechar a porta da empresa dele
Pra mim se o cara precisa explorar os empregados pra ter lucro então nem deveria abrir uma empresa. É um incompetente como gestor