bancários

Bancários are workers employed in banking institutions, including tellers, managers, back-office staff, and specialized professionals such as analysts, information technology specialists, risk officers, and call-center operators. The term is widely used in Brazilian Portuguese to describe the labor force of the banking sector and is understood in Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries. Bancários are typically represented by unions and participate in collective bargaining agreements that set wages, working hours, benefits, and safety standards.

In Brazil, bancários have a long history of organized labor, with national and regional unions negotiating with employers and the state. Strikes and protests have shaped working conditions, especially during periods of inflation and economic transition. The sector has undergone modernization, digitization, and automation, which have shifted job roles toward information technology, data analysis, and customer-relations support, while routine tasks become more automated.

Today, bancários work in a range of activities from cash handling and customer service to risk management and software development. Working conditions commonly include shift work and performance targets, with strict compliance and consumer-protection requirements. As a central service for the economy, bancários are a protected workforce in many jurisdictions, with labor law and collective agreements shaping their rights and duties.

See also: Banking unions, Banking sector in Brazil, Banking in Portugal.