Since its founding in 1890, the Companhia de Navegação Lloyd Brasileiro faced financial crises and, until it was definitively made national property in 1913, underwent numerous interventions: it was incorporated into the Empresa de Obras Públicas do Brasil in 1892 and, in the following years, went through “eight different administrative regimes: […] interventions by the federal government and the Banco do Brasil, it was transformed into a joint-stock company, underwent a forced liquidation with its assets sold at auction, was reorganized once again along the lines of a private company, until being definitively taken over by the state in 1913.” (GOULARTI FILHO, p. 4)
Image description: The image is a colored print depicting the Lloyd Brasileiro Navigation Company. From the left toward the center, we see large ships and smaller boats sailing in a harbor. On the right, there are more ships and boats, some with smoke coming out of their funnels. In the center, the text "Companhia de Navegação Lloyd Brasileiro" stands out in large yellow letters. Below, there is more text in a smaller size, mentioning regular passenger services to the North and South of Brazil. The background features distant mountains and a sky with clouds.Anúncio do Lloyd Brasileiro, no início do século XX
Faced with this turbulent scenario and the company's financial problems, on July 16, 1913, 800 workers went on strike due to a two-and-a-half-month delay in their wages. The day before, they had met at the Federação Operária to discuss Lloyd's refusal to pay wages. The workers approached the board of directors, but nothing happened.
On July 16th, the workshops stood empty. The strikers organized a committee to try to resume negotiations, drafting a letter explaining the reason for the decision. The president of Lloyd refused to receive them, claiming that the committee members belonged to the Rio de Janeiro Workers' Federation and that he did not recognize the institution's representation. He did not receive the workers and decided to dismiss the strikers.
Image description: THE STRIKE AT LLOYD. Below the headline, there is text describing the situation of the striking Lloyd Brasileiro workers. The text mentions that the workers' position has not changed and that a commission from the Federação Operária went to see the director of Lloyd, bringing a letter in defense of the striking workers. The secretary of the Federação, José Elias da Silva, accompanied the commission for a long time. After three hours, the commission returned with the letter, reporting that General Severiano Rego stated that he had nothing to do with the Federação and that the workers were not being paid.Matéria sobre os grevistas no Correio da Manhã, 19/07/1913. Ed. 5284, p. 3 - Hemeroteca Digital
Without support from the board of directors, the workers went to the residence of the Minister of Transportation, Barbosa Gonçalves. Upon being informed that only the employees of the Lloyd workshops were unpaid, he promised to meet with the Minister of Finance to resolve the issue.
In addition to the back pay, the workers demanded that future payments be made regularly and that the jobs of all the strikers be preserved. After talks between the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Finance, one month's salary was paid to some employees, but the bricklayers and laborers still went unpaid. For this reason, the strike only ended on August 1st, with the crisis resolved and the former board dismissed.
