Liked on YouTube: Striking oil workers protest outside Petrobras HQ

Striking oil workers protest outside Petrobras HQ

(19 Feb 2020) About 1,000 people joined a march through Rio de Janeiro which ended outside the headquarters of Petrobras on Tuesday to protest against recent layoffs at a fertiliser factory belonging to the Brazilian state oil company. Petrobras and its workers are locked in a power struggle over plans to shift focus away from non-core assets, with a federation of unions saying thousands of employees are on strike indefinitely. About 400 of the Fafen-PR fertiliser plant's 1,000-strong workforce are reported to be at risk of losing their jobs. Petrobras has said the facility has been losing money and that shuttering it is a business decision. Fafen-PR worker Oséias Costa, 35, said the plant in the Araucaria municipality indirectly created an even larger number of jobs and the layoff would have a detrimental economic impact on the area. The Unified Federation of Oil Workers (FUP) said 21,000 employees in 13 states have joined the strike since it kicked off on February 1 — about 60% of the company's workforce. Petrobras, contacted by The Associated Press, did not confirm those numbers. FUP spokesperson Alexandre Finamori urged the company to suspend the layoff and come back to the negotiating table. The company has been able to maintain oil and gas production levels and meet fuel demand across the country by bringing in temporary workers on emergency contracts that often involve longer shifts. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro appointed Roberto Castello Branco, a pro-market reformer, as Petrobras' chief executive, who with Economy Minister Paulo Guedes has advocated in favour of selling the firm's non-core assets. So far, Petrobras has discussed plans to sell eight refineries that make up about half of the country's refining capacity, as well as all logistical assets linked to those units. Find out more about AP Archive: https://ift.tt/1CUvJt1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://ift.tt/2mlr9BZ Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/102011028589719587178/+APArchive​ Tumblr: https://aparchives.tumblr.com/​​ Instagram: https://ift.tt/2G5Qog8 You can license this story through AP Archive: https://ift.tt/2w2ippO
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