13 November, 2015Oil workers in Brazil are on the thirteenth day of the biggest strike at Petrobras in decades. They want to prevent privatisation, stop the company’s divestment plan, fight for national sovereignty and put pressure on the company to recognise workers’ demands.
The oil workers’ federation (FUP), affiliated to CNQ-CUT and IndustriALL Global Union, is in the middle of negotiations with Petrobras. It is trying to convince the company to deal with the difficult situation it faces by taking new initiatives rather than measures that harm workers, such as reducing investment and budget cuts.
In the absence of an agreement, the FUP has decided to continue the strike in the hope that the company will act responsibly.
“With this strike, we are on the frontline of the battle over the direction that the country’s biggest company should take. The oil workers and oil companies that responded to FUP’s call for action are taking part in a decisive and historic moment of this confrontation”, FUP said in a press release published on its website.
According to FUP, production has been completely or partly halted at the company’s installations and the company has lost millions of dollars. For example, in Ceará, 87per cent of oil production and 94 per cent of gas production have been halted during the strike.
More workers are joining the strike and more people are attending demonstrations to show their solidarity with each day that passes.
Fernando Lopes, IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary said:
Keeping Petrobras in the public sector and ensuring renewed investment is crucial for overcoming the crisis currently affecting Brazil.