Secretaria de Relações Internacionais | Office of International Relations

The staff from the Office of International Relations (SINTER) at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) announces the decision of joining the national strike of Technical-Administrative Staff in Federal Educational Institutions (STAEs).

The national strike was called by the Federation of Unions of Technical-Administrative Workers in Public Higher Education Institutions in Brazil (FASUBRA) and the Union of Education Workers at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (SINTUFSC), due to the absence of proposals from the Federal Government to meet the demands for career restructuring, as provided for in the Career Plan for Technical-Administrative Positions in Federal Educational Institutions (PCCTAE), as well as due to the lack of resources for salary adjustment and equalization of benefits with other categories of federal employees.

The strike’s major demands include:

1. Career restructuring: the Career Plan for Technical-Administrative Positions in Federal Educational Institutions (PCCTAE) has not been updated since 2005, compromising the professional development and salary progression of employees;

2. Salary adjustment: between 2015 and 2024, TAES accumulated a salary devaluation of approximately 70%. In 2023, a small adjustment of 9% was given to all employees of the federal executive branch, but still not enough to make up for the salary loss for the category;

3. Defense of the university and public services: in recent years, universities have suffered from successive cuts in resources, which affect not only the maintenance of the university’s facilities, but also the turnover and absence of employees, as well as the retention of students with greater vulnerability and difficulties to continue their studies.

In addition to the national demands, in the context of work at the Office of International Relations, the SINTER staff members have raised the following local demands:

• Recomposition of the workforce at SINTER: over the last few years, there has been a reduction in the workforce as a result of retirements, dismissals and transfers to other public institutions. Concomitantly with this decrease, there was a significant increase in the institutional demand for internationalization initiatives;

• Guarantee of maintaining internship positions to support SINTER’s services: In addition to the reduced workforce and increased demand for work, in recent years, SINTER has faced many difficulties in maintaining the internship positions necessary to provide support to the office’s activities.

• Maintenance of minimum infrastructure to carry out on-site work, including repairs to air conditioning units and guarantee of water supply.

Faced with this reality, SINTER staff has joined the strike as a way of putting pressure on the Federal Government to avoid a worsening of the working conditions in Federal Higher Education Institutions, and in defense of workers’ rights and public education.

Considering the current scenario of teaching and working conditions at UFSC, and aware of its commitment and responsibility to maintain quality and free public education, the SINTER team counts on the understanding and support of the UFSC community and the external community, as the strike’s demands are of great importance for strengthening and valuing the Brazilian federal universities and their employees.

How will the services of the Office of International Relations (SINTER) operate during the National Strike of STAEs?

SINTER will remain closed during the strike. However, the following activities will exceptionally be carried out remotely:

• Payment of scholarships for exchange students in the Escala Grado and Escala Posgrado Programs of the Association of Montevideo Group Universities (AUGM);

• Payment of PROMISAES Aid for PEC-G students;

• PROMISAES Aid procedures for students who are already registered with PRAE and who submit their request by 15 April (deadline established in a call for applications released in February);

• Necessary procedures for faculty and staff mobility in the AUGM Escala Gestores y Administradores and AUGM Escala Docente Programs, which were already scheduled before SINTER’s staff joined the strike;

• Translation of materials requested by the SINTER team;

• Processing of Cooperation Agreements which are essential to carry out activities that have specific deadlines and for which negotiations were already in progress;

• Renewal/Extension of cooperation agreements that are about to expire;

• Completion and submission to the Federal Police of Residence Permit applications started before the strike period;

• Preparation of dissemination materials for the calls for applications released by SINTER;

• Payment of scholarships and offering of courses already scheduled by NILT/SINTER;

• Necessary procedures, by email and on the application system, for the mobility of students who have applied for the Outgoing Program by 17 March.

• Signing of certificates of arrival for international exchange students in the Incoming Program 2024-1.

New updates may occur at any time and will be informed on SINTER’s news page: https://sinter.ufsc.br/noticias-2/ .

Learn more about the STAEs strike at: https://www.sintufsc.com.br/.