[300715.EN.SEA] Brazil's Federal Workers' Strike Expected To Cripple Major Ports

THE Brazilian government's latest proposal has failed to persuade federal workers to cancel a national strike this week, reports GAC Hot Port News.

If the strike goes ahead, 80 per cent of all Brazilian federal employees will go on strike. Workers are demanding salary increases and other benefits.

Add to this, tens of thousands of workers at Brazil's state-owned Petrobras went on a nationwide 24-hour strike to protest the oil company's plans to sell US$15.1 billion worth of assets by the end of next year to help pay off a debt of about $120 billion.

Caroline Cavassa, a press officer for the National Oil Workers Federation, said 90 per cent of the company's 86,000 workers joined the strike in 12 states.

Source : HKSG.