He had been with the company for 20 years and died in the layoff line

José Benedito Pinto was 70 years old and for 21 years he was an ordinance agent linked to Proguaru, acronym for the public company Progresso e Desenvolvimento de Guarulhos, a municipality in Greater SP and neighboring the capital, and whose closure was determined by the city hall on Thursday (9). This Friday (10), he died while awaiting instructions for the dismissal process.

After the announcement that the company would start to close down, Proguaru summoned around 800 concierge agents to formalize the layoffs – the company has around 4,700 employees. They should go to the Continental CEU.

José Benedito Pinto was waiting, along with other colleagues, for information about the layoffs. According to the secretary general of the Union of Public Servants of Guarulhos, Rogério de Oliveira, a demonstration was organized on the spot.

The entity had also asked the workers, initially, not to go there or not sign the layoffs, as the company’s liquidation is still under discussion in court.

While he was waiting, Benedito Pinto got sick. He was taken in by municipal guards who work at the site and was attended by Samu (Emergency Medical Care Service), but he did not resist.

In a statement, the company says that the employee had heart problems and that the cause of death has not yet been disclosed. “Proguaru regrets the death of the employee José Benedito Pinto, 70, Ordinance Agent, after being sick on the premises of the CEU Continental. The company is providing all the assistance to family members at this sad moment.”

Benedito Pinto was married and had children. Proguaru’s concierge agents worked mainly at school concierges. They direct students into buildings and control access. Proguaru provided janitorial services to public agencies.

“The protest was going smoothly, there was a certain agglomeration of people and it was during this act that he felt bad”, says Oliveira.​

The company’s extinction was approved in legislation at the end of last year. Since then, officials have been carrying out strikes and protests against the decision of the municipal administration. In September, around 60% of classroom classes in the city were suspended – with the workers’ strike, schools were left without cleaning services.

The stoppage was considered non-abusive at the TRT-2 (Regional Labor Court of the 2nd Region)

In a note released on Thursday, the City of Guarulhos says that studies were buying the impossibility of Proguaru being economically recovered. “With the beginning of the closure, Proguaru begins to gradually dismiss employees, in order to settle all labor charges, including amounts related to possible stability provided for in current legislation.”

The work carried out by Proguaru’s servers, such as cleaning, maintenance and reception, will be carried out by private companies, which will be contracted through a public tender, according to the city hall.

The City of Guarulhos was contacted by email this Friday and said that the matter is being handled by Proguaru.