📦 Stuck in customs

PUBLIC SERVICE

Brazil’s customs officers are on strike; the economy pays the price

A six-month-long strike by customs inspectors in Brazil has reached a boiling point, paralyzing key logistical hubs and dragging economic activity down with it. What began as a push for wage adjustments has ballooned into a nationwide disruption felt across airports, ports and border checkpoints, with consequences now rippling through supply chains and threatening the country’s international reputation.

Inspectors at the Federal Revenue Service demand inflation-adjusted salary increases and equal treatment with other public service professions. With negotiations stalling, the officers escalated their tactics in May with a series of work-to-rule actions — effectively a slowdown of customs inspections that delays cargo clearance and creates bottlenecks in airports like São Paulo’s Guarulhos, Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão and major border crossings such as Foz do Iguaçu.

The impact is both visible and costly. Travelers arriving from abroad are facing long lines and multi-hour waits, as 100% of their baggage is screened. 

But it’s the cargo sector that’s bearing the brunt…

🔒 This was a free preview; the rest is behind our paywall

Don’t miss out! Upgrade to unlock full access. The process takes only seconds with Apple Pay or Stripe. Become a member.

Why you should subscribe

We’re here for readers who want to truly understand Brazil and Latin America — a region too often ignored or misrepresented by the international media.

Since 2017, our reporting has been powered by paid subscribers. They’re the reason we can keep a full-time team of 10 journalists across Brazil and Argentina, delivering sharp, independent coverage every day.

If you value our work, subscribing is the best way to keep it going — and growing.

Our annual plan goes for just USD 0.52 a day — but the value you'll get back from it is truly immeasurable. So… what’s stopping you from joining right now?