Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 19 February 2020
Brazil oil workers clash with Petrobras in 18-day strike

By DIANE JEANTET often involve longer shifts.
Associated Press The federation says 36 of
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Bra- Petrobras' 39 offshore plat-
zilian oil workers and oil gi- forms in the Rio de Janeiro
ant Petrobras are locked region, as well as several re-
in a power struggle over fineries across the country,
plans to shift focus away are now run by such con-
from non-core assets, with tingency teams.
a federation of unions say- The movement suffered a
ing on Tuesday that thou- blow Monday night, when
sands of employees are on Justice Ives Gandra of Bra-
strike indefinitely. zil's Superior Labor Court
Roughly one thousand ruled that the strike was il-
people gathered outside legal and ordered fines
the headquarters of state- equivalent to $115,000 a
controlled Petrobras in Rio day if it continues.
de Janeiro, waving flags The federation, which is
and protesting against re- comprised of 13 unions,
cent layoffs at a fertilizer said it will appeal the deci-
factory in the state of Pa- sion.
rana. A similar ruling last year by
"This will have an impact Justice Gandra was over-
economically, in taxes, all Oil workers march against layoffs at the state oil company Petrobras, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ruled by other members of
sectors," Oséias da Costa Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. the court, the federation-
a 35-year-old worker from Associated Press said in a statement Tues-
the facility, known as Fafen, day, calling for the exten-
said in an interview. "This is a assets. decision, while oil workers the company's workforce. sion of the 18-day strike.
strike demanding the rights President Jair Bolsonaro ap- have seized on the plan The Fafen facility employs Earlier this month, Gandra
of Fafen workers and all pointed Roberto Castello as a harbinger of coming about 1,000 people. argued that the strike had
the nation's oil workers, be- Branco, a pro-market re- hardship from the compa- Petrobras, contacted by turned "abusive" because
cause of all the problems former, as Petrobras' chief ny prioritizing more profit- The Associated Press, did unions did not comply with
in Petrobras' administrative executive, who with Econ- able activities related to oil not confirm those numbers. an order to guarantee that
area." omy Minister Paulo Guedes production. The company has been at least 90 percent of the
Leftist political groups, in- has advocated in favor of The Unified Federation of able to maintain oil and workforce would resume
cluding the Workers' Party, selling the firm's non-core Oil Workers said 21,000 gas production levels and their activities. As a result,
have also expressed their assets. Petrobras says the employees in 13 states meet fuel demand across Gandra authorized Petro-
support for the strike, and fertilizer facility has been have joined the strike the country by bringing bras to contract emergen-
their opposition to plans for losing money and that since it kicked off on Feb. in temporary workers on cy workers and avoid drops
privatization of company shuttering it is a business 1 — about 60 percent of emergency contracts that in production.q

U.N. report questions police,

highlights violence in Haiti

incident, the Bel Air attack set up by anti-government phone that he is innocent
illustrates the recent evo- protesters in a key area and that a proper inves-
lution of the current con- that prevented access to tigation had not been
text in Haiti, mainly char- major markets. Days after launched. While no arrest
acterized by the general the alleged meeting oc- warrants have been is-
insecurity in working-class curred, the report said that sued in the Bel Air incidents,
neighborhoods and slums, a former policeman, Jimmy Cherizier is wanted in other
the impunity of members Cherizier, known as "Bar- fatal attacks, including one
of criminal gangs...the al- becue," and other alleged in the nearby slum of La Sa-
In this Feb. 12, 2020 photo, a police officer directs motorcycles
to speed up during a protest against the dire security situation in leged collusion between gang leaders repeated the line in which up to 59 men,
Port-au-Prince, Haiti. them and certain political request to have the barri- women and children were
Associated Press and economic actors, the cades lifted. killed in November 2018.
links between gang mem- The community refused, "More than a year after
By DANICA COTO cent three-day attack. bers and certain agents of and on Nov. 4, dozens of the fact, the lack of prog-
Associated Press The report urged local au- the Haitian National Police, armed men opened fire ress is particularly worrying
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) thorities to prosecute those as well as the lack of police in the area and burned and the involvement of
— The United Nations issued responsible for the violence intervention," the report homes and cars as part of Jimmy Cherizier ... in other
a scathing report on Tues- that erupted in November stated. a three-day rampage. At similar acts demonstrates
day that accused Haitian in the Bel Air neighborhood, The investigation cited least three people were the direct impact of impu-
police of not protecting a largely pro-opposition sources alleging that a killed and six injured, al- nity on the recurrence of
an impoverished neighbor- community in the capital government representa- though the U.N. said it be- violence," said the report
hood from corrupt officers of Port-au-Prince known tive offered about $50,000 lieves the number could be issued by the UN Human
and gang leaders they say for organizing anti-govern- to organizations if they higher. Rights Office and the Unit-
shot at people and set fire ment protests. convinced certain people Cherizier told The Associ- ed Nations Integrated Of-
to homes and cars in a re- "Far from being an isolated in Bel Air to lift barricades ated Press on Tuesday by fice in Haiti. q