International Business

Brazil Oil Workers Strike: The Brazil Federation of Oil Workers--estimated to include up to 80% of the nation’s 50,000 oil workers--launched a strike that crippled operations at eight of the nation’s 10 refineries and threatened the country with shortages of cooking gas and diesel fuel. Brazil refines the entire 1.2 million barrels of oil it consumes daily. Newspapers reported that the strike caught Petrobras, the government oil monopoly, with low stocks. The strike--the second in three months--began when the government reneged on an agreement to give workers raises, job stability and other benefits.