translated from Spanish: Redundancies tense conflict between workers and Petrobras in Uruguay

Uruguay.-The dismissal of workers of Petrobras tensed the conflict that the employees maintain with the Brazilian state in Uruguay, after the announcement of the firm that will withdraw from the country. The company dismissed seven employees of its gas sector in Uruguay, amid a hunger strike of workers who claim that the company was granted the concession of the natural gas distribution service. ” Telegrams “of dismissal, a total of seven, and” The situation worsened, “said the leader of the gas Union Alejandro Acosta quoted by the local Radio Montecarlo.” We will not accept any dismissal, “threw Acosta, who claimed that” in a good time the executive might “take” letters in the matter “to” ensure that in a transitional period “in which” Petrobras is leaving (the country) there are no layoffs “. On the last day of April, Petrobras workers in Uruguay started a hunger strike in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry in Montevideo. While the company alleges that its activity in Uruguay is deficit, workers accuse it of “leaving Responsible management “of the gas service by pipeline from which it is concessionaire since 2004. The President of the Gas Workers ‘ Union, Martín Guerra, had pointed out to the AFP that the firm drastically reduced its workforce since it started activities in Uruguay. Workers report that the cuts jeopardize the supply of gas and demand that Petrobras be removed from the concession, in the context of a prolonged conflict that had its hottest point when the last week of April the workers took the ” “Workers ‘ control of the company’s facilities in Montevideo.” Petrobras is determined not to continue to accumulate damages, holding concessions of public service that have the economic-financial equation broken by structural problems, oblivious to its management and possibility of control, “declared ten days ago the company That is in an arbitration with the Uruguayan state and that claims that it accumulates losses by 116 million of dollars in 15 years. Petrobras, mired in the corruption scandal “Lava Jato”, also announced the sale of its network of petrol stations in Uruguay as part of a process of reducing assets to reposition their business. The Uruguayan trade union center PIT-CNT, which brings together the most powerful unions in the country, said Friday its “solidarity with gas workers,” and its number two, Marcelo Aldala, told Radio Sarandí that will surely convene “some mobilization In solidarity with gas workers, although it did not specify the entity of the measure.

Original source in Spanish