OREANDA-NEWS. Several key unions in Brazil are maintaining an oil strike in defiance of a wage-hike deal struck last week between the labor federation (FUP) and state-controlled Petrobras.

On 13 November, the FUP suspended the strike, the largest to hit Brazil?s oil industry in two decades. The agreement included a 9.53pc wage increase and provided for the creation of a joint committee to analyze proposed changes to Petrobras' 2015-19 business plan.

Most of the 14 regional unions the FUP represents approved Petrobras' proposal over the weekend and returned to work today. But some key unions have rejected the proposal and decided to stay off the job.

On 14 November, the Sindipetro-NF union, which is responsible for most of the offshore platforms in the Campos basin, voted overwhelmingly to continue the strike. The 61,300 b/d P-43 platform joined the strike yesterday, bringing the total number of Campos basin platforms now participating to 51.

Workers of the Sindipetro-ES union of Espirito Santo state, responsible for around 386,000 b/d of onshore and offshore production, also voted to continue the strike. Workers in the northern state of Ceara, accounting for 6,000 b/d, remain on strike as well.

Last week, the FUP said lost production from the Campos basin was averaging around 200,000 b/d. Petrobras said contingency teams at striking platforms had helped limit the impact to around 115,000 b/d. The workers first walked off the job on 1 November.

Petrobras has not commented on the current status of production.

On 14 November, the Sindipetro Caxias union, which represents workers at the 239,000 b/d Campos El?seos refinery (Reduc) in Rio de Janeiro, also voted to continue the strike. The union estimates crude processing at Reduc has been reduced by around 30,000 b/d.

Sindipetro Caxias members are meeting today for a second vote on Petrobras' wage hike offer.

Oil workers fiercely oppose Petrobras' restructuring and asset divestiture plans.

The lingering strike comes against the backdrop of a new phase in an almost two-year police investigation into systemic corruption at Petrobras. Federal police today temporarily detained two former employees of Petrobras as part of their investigation into corruption in the construction of the 115,000 b/d Abreu e Lima refinery in the northeastern state of Pernambuco and the acquisition of the 100,000 b/d Pasadena refinery in Texas.

The refineries are among the assets that were deliberately overpriced in a scheme to funnel money to politicians mainly from the ruling Workers Party (PT).

Petrobras' former international director Nestor Cervero and former downstream director Paulo Roberto Costa have already been convicted of corruption and money laundering in connection with the Pasadena deal, which was approved during Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff's 2003-10 tenure as chair of Petrobras.