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Bankruptcy of Serede, Declared on 19 and Followed by Mass Dismissal Announced on 22, Leaves 4.8 Thousand Employees Linked to Oi Without Defined Termination, Pushes Labor Credits to Bankruptcy Court and Raises Alert About Risk to Essential Telecommunications Services Across the Country and Thousands of Families.
The bankruptcy of Serede, a network services company linked to Oi, was declared on Friday, 19, with anticipation of liquidation effects and announcement, already on Monday, 22, of the termination of all employment contracts for about 4.8 thousand direct employees. The company is now formally presenting itself as the Bankrupt Estate of Serede and claims to be legally barred from conducting operations outside the limits authorized by the court overseeing the process.
Without formal termination terms or clear definition on the payment of salaries, vacation, overtime, severance pay, FGTS, and access to unemployment insurance, workers have been instructed to return tools and equipment and to register their credits in court, which, according to unions, means pushing families to “the end of an endless queue” as Oi’s telecommunications network remains at risk.
Bankruptcy Terminates Activities and Suspends Serede Operations
With the declaration of bankruptcy on Friday, 19, Serede officially ceased its business activities.
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The Bankrupt Estate of Serede states that it is prohibited from disposing of assets or conducting operations beyond what is judicially authorized, which effectively halts the structure that served Oi throughout the country.
The internal communication sent on Monday, 22, confirms the termination of all contracts.
About 4.8 thousand direct workers were laid off at once, in a mass dismissal affecting field technicians, administrative professionals, and teams responsible for network implementation and maintenance.
The company claims that unions will be kept informed and involved in monitoring this mass dismissal, but the entities classify the move as abrupt, disorganized, and harmful both to workers and to the continuity of services provided to Oi.
Mass Dismissal, Stalled Terminations, and Return of Equipment
Besides losing their jobs overnight, workers were told by the Bankrupt Estate of Serede that all labor credits will now have the nature of claims, following the priority order defined in the Bankruptcy Law.
This list includes overdue salaries, vacation, overtime, severance pay, and unremitted FGTS deposits, among others.
In practice, this means that former employees are entering a pool of creditors that will depend on the evolution of the bankruptcy, the sale of assets, and court decisions to receive what they are entitled to. Nothing is immediate, nothing is guaranteed in the short term.
At the same time, the company demands the return of all assets under the custody of employees: work tools, laptops, cell phones, electronic devices, vehicles, personal protective equipment, materials, and supplies.
For the unions, the order to collect equipment while many are still fulfilling contracts linked to Oi Solutions raises the risk of operational collapse.
Labor Credits Go to Court and Feed “Endless Queue”
In the statement, the Bankrupt Estate instructs workers to register their credits in the bankruptcy process and seek the Labor Court for assessment and settlement of amounts.
In the view of the entities, this amounts to shifting the entire burden of the bankruptcy onto those least able to bear it: the employees.
Labor federations in telecommunications point out that this guidance is, in practice, “pushing the worker to the end of an endless queue”, as payments depend on complex stages of the bankruptcy process, disputes with other creditors, and the ability to recover values through asset sales.
Meanwhile, the service recipient, Oi S.A., is accused of watching the situation without assuming its immediate subsidiary responsibility.
For the unions, it is unreasonable for an essential telecommunications network to be maintained at the expense of workers without salary, severance pay, and no perspective of receiving what is owed to them.
Unions Speak of Inconsistency, Disrespect, and Strategic Error
The union reaction was harsh. In a joint statement, the national federations FITRATELP, FENATTEL, and FITTLIVRE expressed “deep indignation and repudiation” of the statement signed by court administrator Tatiana Binato.
According to the entities, the text is an affront to social rights and reveals a bureaucratic view that ignores the plight of nearly 5 thousand families and the stability of the telecommunications sector in Brazil.
By declaring the automatic termination of all contracts and demanding the immediate return of tools and vehicles, the judicial administration, according to the unions, disregards the complexity of Serede’s operation and the fact that part of the staff is still providing critical services, such as those provided to Oi Solutions.
The president of FITRATELP, João Moura Neto, classified the stance as inconsiderate, irresponsible, and disrespectful.
He reports that termination papers were not delivered, there was no communication about the closure of INSS and FGTS accounts, and unemployment insurance forms were not issued, leaving workers without basic documents to seek reemployment or access benefits.
For João Moura Neto, dismissing 100% of the workforce at once is a “strategic error that will have drastic consequences”.
Without workers to organize the disassembly of assets or maintain active operations that still generate revenue, such as contracts with Oi Solutions, the Bankrupt Estate would be accelerating the destruction of the company’s value and causing irreparable harm to the employees.
Risk to Oi Infrastructure and Essential Services Across Brazil
Beyond the human impact, the federations highlight the systemic risk of the bankruptcy being conducted in this manner. The abrupt interruption of Serede’s activities endangers the maintenance of the telecommunications infrastructure of the Oi Group, which serves both public and private services considered essential throughout Brazil.
In the view of the entities, the combination of mass dismissal, equipment collection, and the suspension of technical teams can cause failures in telephone, data, and corporate solution services, potentially affecting public agencies, private companies, and even emergency services.
For the unions, the current scenario exposes a contradiction: while thousands of workers are sent to bankruptcy court to try to receive basic rights, the telecommunications structure they helped to build and maintain remains essential for the country.
And you, how do you evaluate this bankruptcy of Serede and its impact on workers and telecommunications services in Brazil?
Isso q da privatizar no Brasil. Agora todo mundo se faz de esquecido e empurra um para o outro. A responsabilidade e do governo e da oi. O Governo pq privatizou o setor de telecomunicações e a operadora oi pq assumiu a concessão. A operadora oi assumiu o setor e terceirizou o serviço. Ela e a responsável.
Faço parte destes quase 5 mil funcionários demitidos sem recisão, está sendo o pior natal de nossas vidas e não temos ninguém para nós apoiar, só Deus.
Faço parte dessa massa,e o q fizeram foi covardia com todos…
Pura covardia ,e a Oi tem que se responsabilizar e sem falar fos funcionários que estao afastados.por acidente de trabalho,os trabalha querem os seus direitos e a serede/OI tem pagar!
A Oi e VTal tem sua plena participação em tudo isso. Imagine você ter um filho uma filha pedir o que comer , e você olhar nos olhos e dizer amor papai foi desempregado e está sem dinheiro. Essa é a pior dor. Fora que os planos de saúde e odontologia foram todos bloqueados por falta de pagamento.
Trabalhamos , demos nosso melhor e agora isso.
Essa justiça falha que pune apenas a classe que mais precisa o funcionário
A Tatiane que é representante jurídica da empresa desdenha da classe trabalhadora, falta as reuniões com sindicato, apenas decretou falencia sem ao menos pensar no que estava envolvido.
Aliás isso é a justiça dos homens falha e cega.
Estamos sem salário,sem comida, sem recisão, sem direitos trabalhistas .
Maior absurdo com quem mais precisa e movimenta o Brasil a classe trabalhadora e ninguém faz nada apenas assiste