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Closure of four units in Pentecoste interrupts an operation maintained for over 20 years, affects hundreds of workers in the footwear sector and keeps only one factory active, while the union monitors terminations and labor measures after the announcement made in person to employees.
The businessman Alexandre Becker announced on Monday morning (22) the closure of four footwear factories in Pentecoste, in the interior of Ceará, and confirmed the dismissal of 528 workers.
The announcement was made in person at each unit, in a decision attributed to economic difficulties that made the continuation of operations unfeasible.
The measure affected the units Valenti Calçados, Serrota Calçados, Pentecoste Calçados, and WS Calçados, all linked to Becker’s business group in the municipality.
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According to the data provided to Diário do Nordeste, Valenti had the highest number of layoffs, with 205 employees dismissed, followed by Serrota with 127, Pentecoste Calçados with 103, and WS with 93.
Closure of footwear factories in Pentecoste
The closure represents a sudden change for hundreds of families who depended directly on footwear production in Pentecoste.
The city, located in the Vale do Curu, had maintained a relationship with the sector for years, including previously announced industrial expansion projects to boost economic activity and create new jobs.
In a statement to Diário do Nordeste, Becker stated that the decision ends a trajectory of more than two decades in the municipality.
The businessman said that the factories faced different crises over the years, including the pandemic, and highlighted that part of the operations acted as a subcontractor for Paquetá, a company that also ceased activities.
“It is a very sad moment. We have been in Pentecoste for over 20 years, we went through several crises, through the pandemic,” said Becker.
He added that economic conditions prevented the maintenance of the factories and said that the closure causes sorrow for the affected workers and families.
VS Sport remains active in the municipality
Despite the closure of the four units, Becker informed that VS Sport will continue operating in Pentecoste.
The factory has 306 active employees and, according to the businessman, operates with full shoe production, from start to finish, which differentiates the unit from operations that relied on outsourced contracts.
The continuation of VS Sport was presented by the businessman as the possible continuity within the municipality.
In an interview with Diário do Nordeste, he said that the unit continues with growth expectations and that he intends to keep the company in Pentecoste, with the intention of preserving and expanding jobs in the city.
Union monitors workers’ terminations
The announcement of the layoffs occurred with the accompaniment of the Union of Shoe Industry Workers of Pentecoste, the Sindpast.
Lawyer Jarbas Alves participated in the communication to employees, in an attempt to monitor the closure process and reduce doubts about labor rights and termination procedures.
According to Becker, the union was called from the moment the possibility of closure arose for economic reasons.
The businessman stated that the entity began to lead the negotiations to monitor the decisions made during the process and ensure verification of the layoffs.
Sindpast will be responsible for verifying the measures adopted in the closure, monitoring processes in the Labor Court, and checking the terminations of the dismissed employees.
The workers will also receive Unemployment Insurance, a temporary benefit provided for financial assistance during the job search period.
Footwear industry had expansion announced
The crisis occurs less than three years after the Government of Ceará announced, in September 2023, an agreement between the Ceará State Development Agency and the Pentecoste City Hall to enable two industrial warehouses in the municipality.
At the time, the initiative was presented as part of an expansion of the local footwear industry.
At the time, the official information indicated that the expansion could create hundreds of job and income opportunities, impacting the economy of Pentecoste.
The state government recorded that Becker was also at the forefront of Pentecoste Calçados and Serrota Calçados, two of the units now among the closed factories.
Layoffs change local economic routine
The recent history helps to measure the change faced by the municipality.
In 2023, the public discourse revolved around expanding production, new warehouses, and job creation; by June 2026, the announcement to workers began addressing the closure of units and the dismissal of more than five hundred people.
The decision also changes the weight of the footwear industry in the local economic routine.
Although VS Sport remains active with 306 employees, the closure of the four factories immediately reduces the number of jobs directly linked to Becker’s operations in Pentecoste and concentrates the continuation of activities in a single unit.
For the dismissed employees, the next steps involve formalizing the terminations, union support, and access to Unemployment Insurance.
The process takes place after the in-person announcement made at the factories, which marked the end of operations maintained for years and affected workers distributed among four units of the footwear sector.
