90% of employees of the Petrobras, a Brazilian oil Company on Thursday went on strike against a planned auction for rights to explore a huge offshore oilfield near Rio de Janeiro.

According to the Union leaders who disclosed this, the Libra Oilfield auction will damage national interests by allowing foreign companies to share production rights with Petrobras.

However the strike action to halt the sale, which is due to take place on Monday, is said to have disrupted the oil production in Brazil as 42 platform and several refineries have been affected.