RIO DE JANEIRO/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A 72-hour strike by Brazilian oil workers halted refineries and rigs on Wednesday, union leaders said, a new blow to President Michel Temer on the heels of a trucker protest that has strangled Latin America’s largest economy for over a week. In a written statement, the solicitor general’s office said the planned oil workers’ strike was “political” and not labor-related, as workers were demanding the resignation of Petrobras chief executive officer Pedro Parente. The strike began Wednesday in defiance of Brazil's top labor court, which declared it illegal and said the unions will have to pay a daily fine of 500,000 reals (about $135,000). HOUSTON (ICIS)--The Federation of Petroleum Workers (FUP) went on a 72-hour strike on Wednesday, targeting all but three of the refineries of state-producer Petrobras.
Oil workers in Brazil start a 72-hour strike, amid the ongoing truck drivers' strike.