Strike interrupts bus circulation and affects passengers in Manaus The Labor Court determined, on Monday night (20), that public transport in Manaus maintain a minimum fleet in circulation after the bus stoppage. The decision establishes that 80% of buses must operate during peak hours and 50% during other periods. If the determination is not complied with, the Manaus Road Transport Workers Union (STTRM) will be subject to a fine of R$120,000 per hour. The decision was handed down by judge David Alves de Mello Junior, from the Regional Labor Court of the 11th Region (TRT-11), and allows the strike to continue, as long as the minimum operating percentages for public transport are respected. According to the determination, 80% of buses and vehicles must remain in circulation between 6 am and 9 am and from 5 pm to 8 pm. At other times, the minimum percentage is 50%. ? Join the g1 AM channel on WhatsApp The judge also ordered the Road Workers Union to organize a rotation schedule to allow workers to participate in the movement without completely interrupting the service. Companies, in turn, must adapt the operation to the percentages defined by the Court. The decision also prohibits the union from preventing or hindering the access of workers and buses to company garages. If there are demonstrations, they must be held at least 200 meters from the entrances of the establishments. In addition to the fine of R$120,000 per hour in case of non-compliance, the judge warned that failure to comply with the court order could constitute a crime of disobedience. The union was also obliged to publish, on its social networks, a notice informing the content of the decision. In the early evening of Monday, the union stated that it had released 70% of the bus fleet to serve passengers in the central region of Manaus until the end of the day. According to Rede Amazônica, however, there are no buses on the capital's main roads and terminals until 10pm. Reason for the strike According to the Road Workers Union, the strike is motivated by the delay in payment of salaries for the category. According to the union president, Givancir Oliveira, the decision was taken after bus companies continued to fail to meet payment deadlines. In an interview with Rede Amazônica, the vice-president of the Road Workers Union, Josenildo Silva, said that workers' pay had previously been guaranteed by a court ruling, which, according to him, was not respected and complied with by public transport companies. "Even with the sentence signed by judge Jorge Álvaro fining the companies, they did not respect it. The City Hall needs to resolve this issue. The worker needs to pay the bills, have water, electricity, rent", he informed. At the beginning of this month, the Regional Labor Court of the 11th Region (TRT-11) granted an injunction determining that public transport companies pay 40% of salaries by the 20th of each month — or on the previous business day, when the date falls on a weekend or holiday — and the remaining 60% by the fifth business day of the following month. The Union of Passenger Transport Companies of Amazonas (Sinetram) reported that it was surprised by the stoppage of urban public transport in Manaus, and stated that it did not receive prior notice nor was it contacted by the bus workers' union to discuss the movement. The entity said it maintains an open dialogue with the workers, said it will take legal action to restore the operation of the buses and hopes that the service will be normalized as quickly as possible. The City of Manaus stated that it has no outstanding debts for the year 2026 with Sinetram, "its financial obligations being regularly executed for the current year". The Government of Amazonas stated that it is fulfilling the obligations related to the Free Student Pass for students from the state network in Manaus and reported that it transferred more than R$31.1 million to the Union of Passenger Transport Companies of the State of Amazonas (Sinetram) for 2025. Regarding the amounts still outstanding, the State said that it made a judicial deposit last year, as determined by the Court, but the resources were not released because, according to the government, the Sinetram did not sign the joint petition required to complete the procedure. The government also stated that it follows the criteria defined by the Court to calculate the student half-pass payments and said that it needs detailed data on the use of the benefit by students to make payments. According to the State, this information has not yet been presented by Sinetram, which prevents new transfers without compromising legal and transparency requirements in the application of public resources. Queue of buses stopped at Terminal 1, on Constantino Nery. Luzimar Bessa/Rede Amazônica