São Paulo – The strike at the Landulpho Alves Refinery (Rlam), in Bahia, began with cut shifts and support movements at other Petrobras units, which delayed the entry of shifts. But in the late afternoon of Thursday (18), the State Oil Workers Union (Sindipetro) announced the suspension of the movement. This is because, according to the entity’s coordinator, Jairo Batista, the company made a statement “expressing its willingness to exhaust the negotiation”.

Before that, according to the oil tankers, without surrender the company kept operators at the refinery that had already finished their work shift – Sindipetro says that this constitutes a private prison. “The state-owned company also tried to interfere in the legitimate strike exercise of the category, with pressure, anti-union attitudes and the use of the police,” said the Single Federation of Oilmen (FUP). The company was already talking about abusive movement.

The first Brazilian refinery, with 70 years of existence, Landulpho Alves was recently sold to an Arab investment group, Mubadala, which made an offer of US $ 1.65 billion. The deal has yet to be legally ratified. Oil tankers are protesting the refineries privatization process initiated by Petrobras. They also point out noncompliance with clauses in the collective bargaining agreement.

Negative impacts

“In addition to guaranteeing the jobs and rights of Petrobras’ own and outsourced workers who will be affected by the sale of Rlam, our goal with the strike and the actions we are promoting today across the country is to denounce the negative impacts for the population the privatizations of refineries, terminals and the logistical system that Petrobras’ current management is promoting, ”said FUP’s general coordinator, Deyvid Bacelar. “The sale of Rlam and other refineries can create private regional monopolies, and this will further increase fuel prices,” he added.

The company, by the way, announced a new increase in diesel and gasoline prices, starting tomorrow (19). Average prices for distributors rise 14.7% and 10.2%, respectively. It is the second readjustment in the month. Gasoline has already risen four times this year and diesel three times. Petrobras speaks of “alignment” with the international market.

More expensive at the pump

“In the first two months of 2021 alone, Petrobras’ privatist management has already increased the price of gasoline at refineries by 34.7%,” says FUP. In the case of diesel, the accumulated increase is 27.7%. “Obviously these values ​​will reach much higher for the final consumer at the gas station,” recalled Rosângela Buzanelli, worker representative on the company’s Board of Directors.

Representatives of union centrals participated in an assembly before Rlam, in the municipality of São Francisco do Conde, metropolitan region of Salvador. For the president of CUT, Sérgio Nobre, for example, no country grows without defending its strategic sectors and without a strong industrial base. Therefore, the issue is not restricted to oil tankers. “At all times in the history of Brazil when this country has grown, created jobs, distributed income, it has been induced by the State,” he said.