MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Petrobras workers on a nationwide 24 hour strike to protest sale of assets
Caroline Cavassa, a press officer for the National Oil Workers Federation, said 90% of the company's 86,000 workers joined the strike in 12 states. 
However Petrobras said that “we have taken all the necessary steps to guarantee the production of oil and gas the supply of products to the market”. 
The union also opposes planned legislation that would strip Petrobras' right to be sole operator of huge offshore reserves located off Brazil's southeastern coast. Tens of thousands of workers at Brazil's state-owned Petrobras went on a nationwide 24-hour strike on Friday to protest the oil company's plans to sell 15.1 billion dollars worth of assets by the end of next year to help pay off a debt of about 120 billion dollars.
Caroline Cavassa, a press officer for the National Oil Workers Federation, said 90% of the company's 86,000 workers joined the strike in 12 states. She added the strike affects refineries and onshore and offshore operations.
Petrobras said in an emailed statement that the company was operating normally despite the strike.
“We have taken all the necessary steps to guarantee the production of oil and gas the supply of products to the market”.
The union also opposes planned legislation that would strip Petrobras' right to be the sole operator of huge offshore reserves located off Brazil's southeastern coast.
Most of these fields lie more than a mile below the ocean's surface and under another 2.5 miles of earth and salt.
Petrobras is currently embroiled in a massive corruption-kickback scandal that prosecutors have said involves at least $800 million in bribes and other illegal funds. Some of that money was allegedly funneled back to the ruling Workers' Party and its allies' campaign coffers. It also allegedly included the payment of bribes to Petrobras executives in return for inflated contracts.
Petrobras is Brazil's biggest company and is in charge of tapping big offshore oil fields and creating wealth that leaders hope will propel the country to developed world status.
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Read all commentsA resources windfall doesn't guarantee a country will become developed, otherwise many African countries would be first world.
Jul 25th, 2015 - 06:55 am 0Venezuela has plenty of oil and is an economic basket case. Brazil needs to put in place a lot of reforms to its economy and political system that will be a better guarantee of development.
“ 90% of the company's 86,000 workers joined the strike in 12 states. She added the strike affects refineries and onshore and offshore operations.......Petrobras said in an emailed statement that the company was operating normally despite the strike.”
Jul 25th, 2015 - 11:31 am 0Who to believe? More than 77,400 workers not working and nothing changes looks like an opportunity to sack half of that lot and save even more money.
The UK went through the Dead-headed Union Syndrome and it nearly killed us. We can remember queues for bread as used to happen in WWII, refuse in the streets and the dead put into container freezers (reefers) due to the public workers strikes.
Then came The Blessed Margaret and kicked them all in the nuts and sacked thousands of the public 'workers' and privatised mainline businesses. Then we had 'New Labour' with BLiar and The Cunt Brown: back down the snake again.
But doesn't Brazil have a female president? Of course but DumbAss has her cunt between her ears instead of one of the sharpest brains on the planet. Oh dear, Brazil is fucked then if this keeps happening!
@2. Should I comment on your clearly jaundiced view of industrial relations? I seem to recall a lot of stupid people who tried the “public sector produces nothing” mantra. Forgetting, conveniently, that it produces compliance with the law. Otherwise The Blessed Margaret would have had no money. Couldn't have sent that task force south. No money for fuel for a start.
Jul 25th, 2015 - 12:30 pm 0However, back to the Petrobras “workers”. If they are objecting to the sale of assets, are they taking pay cuts? 77,400 on strike. US$195,090 per worker. Two years' wages. Don't those 'workers' look clean?
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