Log in to your IBTimes Account

close
ID
Password
  • Set your IBTimes.com Edition

Brazil oil workers, Petrobras in talks



By MICHAEL ASTOR, AP
16 July 2008 @ 10:38 pm ET

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Negotiations between striking Brazilian oil workers and state oil company Petrobras ended late Wednesday with no immediate end of the walkout in sight.

Related Topic

Get stories by e-mail on this topic.

E-mail:

The oil workers launched a five-day strike on Monday to demand an extra day off for every two-week shift they work on the platforms, noting it takes a full day off to get to the platform and another to get back.

Petrobras said in a statement it presented a proposal that met the union's demands.

Sindipetro-NF, which represents oil workers in the Campos Basin, said on its Web site the proposal was not good enough but that it would discuss it with the workers on Thursday.

Negotiations started in the afternoon after the company met a workers' demand and ferry them home from the offshore rigs. The region is the source of 80 percent of Brazil's oil production.

Brazilian refinery workers are planning a two-day work slowdown for Thursday and Friday to support their offshore colleagues and demand a greater share of company profits. Most other Petrobras workers are set to launch a larger, general strike for improved working conditions and profit sharing on Aug. 5, according to National Oil Workers Federation spokeswoman Alessandra Morteira.

Petrobras, one of the world's largest oil companies that pumps an average 1.6 million barrels of crude a day, said it has enacted a contingency plan to ensure output is not affected by the work stoppage.

Analysts say the strikes could contribute to future gains in soaring world oil prices.

"Petrobras respects workers' right to organize and remains open to negotiations," a Petrobras spokesman said, reading an official statement over the telephone. The company said it had submitted a profit-sharing proposal to the unions on July 9, but had received no response. The spokesman declined to give details on that offer.

Petrobras shares fell 1.9 percent to close at to 39.77 reals (US$25.01) Wednesday on Sao Paulo's Bovespa exchange. The stock is down 3 percent since the strike began on Monday.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Click!
  • Rate this article:

Comments

Post Your Comment

*Name


advertisement
More Politics & Policy
After a landmark win in the House of Representatives, President Barack Obama's push for healthcare reform faces a difficult path in the Senate amid divis...
Software, biotech firms and others who develop new ways to do business will be watching closely on Monday as the U.S. Supreme Court hears a case that cou...
U.S. President Barack Obama urged Americans on Friday not to jump to conclusions on the motive behind the mass shooting at the sprawling Fort Hood army b...

advertisement
Advertisement
POS Magnetic Card Readers

Online distributor for point of sale equipment, TYSSO and Pegasus.

 
IBTimes.com Web
Partners
International Business Times© 2009 The Ibtimes Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms of service | Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us | Contact Us | Archives