oil

energy

News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in the energy sector around the world.

Brazil oil strike spreads

Brazilian oil workers on Thursday expanded a strike that was limited to platforms in the Campos Basin to all production and refining units of state-run energy company Petrobras.

Petrobras said on Thursday output at its platforms, refineries and distribution units was not affected by the strike. But the unions will vote next week on a proposal to stop production in a nationwide strike planned for Aug. 5.

Brazilian oil workers begin five day strike

Brazilian oil workers have begun a five day strike as of midnight last night.

The Brazilian state-run oil producer, Petrobras, says the strike has cut its production by 7%. The union, however, is saying the walkout has cut production by more like 22%, approximately 400,000 barrels.

Shell truckers offered 14 per cent pay rise

Oil tanker drivers supplying Shell petrol stations have called off a planned second round of industrial action after being offered a reported 14 per cent pay increase over two years.

The last minute offer was made to the drivers’ union, the ITF affiliated Unite, by Hoyer UK and Suckling Transport, who are contracted to distribute Shell supplies. It followed four days of peaceful industrial action in the UK, with more planned.

Fears of UK trucks strike activates emergency oil plans

Emergency procedures have been activated within the oil industry ahead of a threatened four-day strike by tanker drivers, amid fears that filling stations across Britain could start running out of fuel from this weekend (13th June).

John Hutton, business secretary, fears the strike could prompt much more widespread fuel shortages than those caused by the strike at the Grangemouth oil refinery in April, and has ordered officials to draw up contingency plans. Industry executives believe these fears are well founded.

70,000 Spanish truckers strike, blockade border with France

French and Spanish truckers blockaded roads on the border of south-western France on 9th June in protest at rising fuel prices.

In the latest show of distress with fuel prices, Spanish truckers on Monday began a blockade of their country's border with France, lining up their rigs and slowing them to a crawl to protest the cost of fuel. The strike blocked the highway in both directions in southwestern France.

Iraqi oil Minister transfers union activists

The Iraqi Oil minister, Hussein Al-Shahirstani, had ordered the transfer of 8 Oil Union activists to Baghdad's Al-Dorah neighborhood (known for worsening security situation, and high level of sectarian killings). In the context of Iraqi security situation such a transfer is rightfully regarded as a human rights violation.

The Iraqi Oil minister, Hussein Al-Shahirstani, had ordered the transfer of 8 Oil Union activists.

They used to work at the Oil refineries in the south. This act represents the minister's anti-union policy, and lack of respect for Unions and Unions' activists in the Oil sector.

The Ecological Challenge: Three Revolutions are Necessary

With a planetary ecological crisis on hand, it can no longer be denied that socialism will be incompatible with mass production and mass consumption. Indeed, even without returning to Malthusian catastrophe theories, we are forced to admit that the planet’s resources are not inexhaustible. These resources could provide for humanity’s needs, but only if they are used in a reasonable and rational way, i.e., in a manner directly opposed to capitalist logic, which in itself is a source of imbalance.

The Ecological Challenge: Three Revolutions are Necessary
by Alternative Libertaire

Panic at oil pensions strike

Workers at the Grangemouth Ineos plant will strike for two days from Sunday and will shut down the Forties pipeline, which provides a third of the UK's daily oil output.

The government is warning consumers not to panic, as panic-buying of petrol has begun.

The strike of Unite members is against attacks on pensions, including closing the scheme to new entrants.

More information from Unite here.

Oil workers struggles in Venezuela under Chavez, 2007

Article with information about recent struggles of the oil workers as well as some information and analysis about the proposed constitutional amendments which were defeated on December 2.

We are publishing our response to a letter sent by a reader from Brazil (T), who asks our opinion about an article he received, from which we are publishing some extracts, and which covers the struggles and mobilizations of the workers against the state oil company "Petroleos de Venezuela" (PDVSA) last September, demanding better wages and contractual benefits.