Business · Companies · 1 day ago
Union challenges Amazon pay for about 500 customer service workers in Ceará
A union in Ceará is suing Amazon over the pay of about 500 workers who handle customer service from home in several cities.
The union says they do telemarketing work, but Amazon classifies them as retail workers.
That classification is at the heart of the dispute because the union says telemarketing workers on a 36-hour week should receive at least the national minimum wage.
Amazon says it applies retail pay rules and calculates wages in proportion to the workers’ 180 monthly hours.
Pay records cited in the case show R$1,298, below the stated national minimum wage of R$1,621.
The union’s collective case began in July, and a hearing at a labor court in Fortaleza ended without agreement.
The court has not set a date for a decision, while some workers have also brought individual cases and at least two have received favorable rulings.
A union has filed a collective lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that about 500 customer service workers in Ceará are paid less than Brazil’s minimum wage.
The workers are employed remotely in several cities in the state and work 36 hours a week.
Sintratel-CE says their duties amount to telemarketing and that they should receive at least the minimum wage of R$ 1,621.
Amazon says the workers belong to the commerce category and that it calculates their pay in proportion to their 180 monthly hours.
A hearing at the 18th Labor Court in Fortaleza ended without agreement, and no trial date has been set.
- Who
- Sintratel-CE and Amazon are parties to the collective lawsuit; about 500 Amazon customer service workers are affected.
- What
- The union challenges pay it says is below the national minimum wage and seeks the minimum wage plus retroactive differences.
- When
- The collective case began in July 2026; a hearing was held on Friday, October 18, according to G1.
- Where
- Ceará, Brazil; the workers work remotely in several cities, and the hearing took place in Fortaleza.
- Why
- The union says the workers perform telemarketing duties and should be classified and paid as telemarketing operators; Amazon classifies them as commerce workers.
Sintratel-CE
Amazon
Worker classification
Sintratel-CE
The workers perform telemarketing duties and should be treated as telemarketing operators.
Amazon
The workers belong to the commerce category because Amazon’s main activity is commerce.
Pay calculation
Sintratel-CE
The workers’ 36-hour week meets the telemarketing category’s limit, so they should receive at least the minimum wage.
Amazon
Pay is calculated proportionally to 180 monthly hours under the commerce category.
The union’s collective lawsuit against Amazon was initiated.
A hearing between the union and Amazon at the 18th Labor Court in Fortaleza ended without agreement.
- Workers affected
- About 500
- Work schedule
- 36 hours per week
- Minimum wage sought
- R$ 1,621
- Pay shown on two payslips
- R$ 1,298 in October 2025 and March 2026
- Court
- 18th Labor Court in Fortaleza
3 sources
What people are saying
A Amazon atua em total conformidade com a legislação trabalhista brasileira e com todas as obrigações aplicáveis. Como o tema é objeto de discussão judicial em curso, não comentaremos detalhes do processo, respeitando o devido andamento legal