Portuguese 
Movement Started at 7:30 AM at Macaé Airport, Involves Maintenance and Industrial Assembly Professionals, and Reached Offshore Units; Union Demands 15% Raise, R$1,000 Meal Voucher, and Change in Shift Schedule
Maintenance and industrial assembly workers linked to the oil sector have initiated an indefinite strike in Macaé and the Campos Basin after negotiations for the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CCT) 2026/2027 failed.
The movement began on Friday, September 18, at 7:30 AM, with a gathering at Macaé Airport, one of the main embarkation points for professionals heading to the platforms in the region. The mobilization encompasses workers involved in both onshore and offshore activities. G1
The workers are represented by the Industrial Painting, Construction, and Furniture Workers Union, covering various industries, including offshore platforms in the Campos Basin, known as SINTPICC-RJ.
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According to information released regarding the mobilization, the strike was approved in an Extraordinary General Assembly after workers rejected a proposal presented by the Union of Engineering, Assembly, and Maintenance Companies of Rio de Janeiro, known as SINDEMON, during discussions for a new collective agreement.
The strike has no set end date. This aspect elevates the significance of the mobilization: it is not a protest planned for a few hours, but a labor dispute whose duration will depend on the reopening of negotiations.
15% Raise, R$1,000 Meal Voucher, and 14×21 Shift Schedule are Among the Demands Presented by Workers in Collective Bargaining
Among the demands made by the workers are a 15% salary increase, a R$ 1,000 meal voucher, improvements in work conditions and safety, and a review of benefit discrepancies between contracted workers and Petrobras employees.
Another significant point in the offshore environment is the request for a change in the work schedule.
Workers advocate shifting from a regime of 14 days on duty followed by 14 days off to 14 days of work followed by 21 days of rest, based on the information released about the category’s agenda.
The shift schedule is especially sensitive in offshore work as it involves more than just pay. Time spent aboard, periods of rest, travel, and being away from home are integral to professionals’ work-life organization in the sea.
The previous agreement between SINTPICC-RJ and SINDEMON already established specific rules for onshore and offshore workers, including minimum wages, allowances, and conditions related to on-board work hours. The previous contract, effective from May 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026, covered areas such as Macaé, Rio das Ostras, Casimiro de Abreu, Conceição de Macabu, Quissamã, and Carapebus.
This is precisely why the current discussion extends beyond just a percentage raise: the new CCT stipulates conditions that impact the daily routines of professionals employed in one of Brazil’s most vital offshore regions.
Union Reports Participation in Dozens of Offshore Units in the Campos Basin, but Workers on Strike Do Not Automatically Mean a Halt in Oil Production
SINTPICC has reported that the strike has also reached the maritime units in the Campos Basin.
The list provided by the union includes P-69, P-31, P-52, PGP-1, UMCP, P-68, P-67, P-62, UMPA, P-25, P-09, P-56, P-70, P-74, P-75, P-77, PNA1, PCH1, PCH2, UMPC, UMAR, P-51, P-43, Sayan Polaris, UMTJ, P-Merluza, and ADG (Alexandre de Gusmão). This list and information regarding participation in these units are attributed to the union itself.
This point requires an important distinction.
Stating that a platform has workers involved in the strike does not necessarily mean that the unit has stopped producing oil or gas. Maintenance and industrial assembly professionals are part of the operational chain of the facilities, but a platform brings together different teams, companies, and roles.
Petrobras itself has reported that it is monitoring the negotiations between workers and contracted companies, noting that it is taking measures to ensure the safe continuity of services on board.
According to the state-owned company, the platforms that are in production continue to operate normally, and there has been no impact on production or supply. However, the company did not disclose how many workers have joined the movement or specify which units have reported an impact on the contracted teams.
This contrast is central to understanding the current stage of the strike: there is confirmed mobilization of workers on land and in the offshore environment, while the operator maintains that production remains intact.
Macaé Airport became a concentration point because it is one of the entry points for workers heading to the platforms
The choice of Macaé Airport to mark the beginning of the mobilization is directly related to offshore logistics.
The location serves as a transit and boarding point for teams heading to the region’s maritime facilities. This is where the category began its concentration at 7:30 AM on September 18.
The movement also extends beyond Macaé. The representation of SINTPICC reaches workers in Rio das Ostras, Casimiro de Abreu, Conceição de Macabu, Quissamã, and Carapebus, in addition to the professionals deployed in the Campos Basin.
This reach helps explain why a collective bargaining negotiation involving maintenance and industrial assembly rapidly gains regional dimensions. The offshore chain does not end at the platform: it depends on airports, land bases, contracted companies, workshops, logistics, and thousands of professionals distributed across different municipalities.
Petrobras says it is monitoring the negotiations; union maintains strike indefinitely and presses for a new round of talks
Petrobras reported that it is monitoring discussions between its contracted companies and the workers. According to the company, the contracts maintained by the state comply with the legislation, and meetings have already been held with representatives of the involved companies.
On the workers’ side, SINTPICC states that it remains open to resuming negotiations.
So far, however, the strike continues to be approved for an indefinite period, with no previously established date for its conclusion.
Therefore, the next chapter does not depend solely on the extent of participation on the platforms. The decisive factor will be knowing whether the workers and the employer sector will return to the negotiating table and if a new proposal capable of resolving the CCT 2026/2027 impasse will arise.
Meanwhile, two situations coexist in the Campos Basin: maintenance and industrial assembly workers maintain a mobilization that has already reached both land and sea, while Petrobras claims that oil production continues as normal.
