“Uruguayan Gas Workers Celebrate Withdrawal of Petrobras”, 17 de julio de 2019

…Uruguayan gas workers have celebrated Brazilian company Petrobras' decision to withdraw from Uruguay and are discussing on Wednesday to put an end to a general strike they have been staging for two months. The leader of the Uaoegas sectoral union, Alejandro Acosta, highlighted the agreement signed on Tuesday between the company and the President of Uruguay, Tabare Vazquez, according to which the State will temporarily take over control of the service to the population provided by the MontevideoGas and Conecta concessionaires. Acosta thanked the workers' movement, neighbors, social and political organizations, artists and the Pit-Cnt union, which fought for a direct response from the nation's president to solve the prolonged labor crisis. After the meeting held in the Argentinian city of Santa Fe, with Petrobras Executive, Roberto Castello, President Vazquez guaranteed the employment of the 57 workers fired and suspended by the bosses, and the piped gas services to the population. 'Petrobras withdraws and claims absolutely nothing from Uruguay and all Petrobras assets in Uruguay become the property of the Uruguayan state,' he said, adding that 'the state keeps the management of the company until it can get new investors.