Brazil's oil and gas giant Petrobras said Friday that a planned five-day strike by platform workers next week would not affect production.
Petrobras had a contingency plan to maintain output but the company's management was open to negotiate in the hope that "nothing will happen," Petrobras president Sergio Gabreilli said.
Sindipetro-NF, the union that gathers Petrobras employees based on the offshore platforms in the Campos basin, said the strike will start Monday, regardless of whether the oil giant presents a proposal by then.
The Campos basin produces 1.5 million barrels of oil per day, which accounts for about 80 percent of Petrobras' total production.
Sindipetro-NF is demanding that the day the workers spend traveling from the platform be considered a day worked. They currently work 14 straight days in a shift and then have 21 days of rest, but they have to travel long distances from the platform to the continent at the end of the 14-day work session.
The union also demands another day and a half of rest for every15-day shift. If their demands are not fulfilled, workers intend to stop sending oil and gas to the continent, working only to assure electricity on the platforms.
According to British daily Financial Times, the threat of a strike by Petrobras workers was one of the reasons for the rise in oil prices Thursday. If the strike happens, oil prices might get even higher, the paper said.
But some experts said the strike should not affect oil prices in the international market, as Brazil's production is mostly for the domestic market.
Source: Xinhua
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