Rio de Janeiro seeks expropriation of Refit refinery

The Rio de Janeiro state government has requested that the federal government expropriate the land of the Manguinhos refinery, owned by Refit, following the company's recent bankruptcy declaration. The state argues that federal intervention is necessary because the Union holds direct ownership of the 600,000-square-meter area. The state aims to find a new operator to maintain refining activities and recover unpaid tax debts.

Simultaneously, a labor court in Rio de Janeiro has issued an injunction regarding the refinery's workforce. Following a mass layoff triggered by a previous partial shutdown by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), the court ordered the immediate reinstatement of dismissed workers. The ruling, prompted by a lawsuit from Sindipetro-RJ, also requires the Refit Group to set aside R$10 million in court or face direct account freezes, and prohibits further collective dismissals without prior union negotiation.