Portugal oil refineries raise output after strike

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Thu Apr 22, 2010 12:35pm EDT

* Galp refineries restore output

* More strikes if talks do not resume-union

LISBON, April 22 (Reuters) - Portugal's two refineries run by Galp Energia (GALP.LS) were restoring output on Thursday after a three-day strike by workers, who threatened more stoppages if the company refuses to negotiate a pay rise.

Galp has maintained that the refineries, which have a total processing capacity of around 300,000 barrels per day, remained operational and fuel supplies were not affected. Union leaders said they had slashed production to the technical minimum.

"The strike is over, the refineries are restoring output to normal levels," a Galp spokesman said, declining to reveal current output levels or to what extent production had been affected by the strike.

Armando Farias, coordinator of Sinquifa union representing oil and gas sector workers, said the union had already told Galp it wanted to resume salary negotiations as soon as possible.

"If the company does not want to sit with us at the negotiations table we will proceed with more labour actions, including more strikes," he said.

The refineries, in Porto in the north and Sines in southern Portugal, account for most of the Iberian country's fuel consumption.

Talks between management and workers had broken down a few days before the strike after Galp refused to give workers raises of 2.8 percent and stuck to its position of granting a wage increase of no more than 1.5 percent.

Galp's shares fell about 5 percent on Thursday to trade at 12.6 euros, underperforming the broader market in Lisbon, down 2.6 percent lower. (Reporting by Filipa Cunha Lima and Andrei Khalip)

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