	brazilian labour unrest spreads many banks shut brazil s labour unrest is spreading with many banks universities and government statistical offices on strike and more pay disputes looming bankworkers leaders said that a national strike launched yesterday to press for a pct immediate pay rise and monthly salary adjustments had the support of most of the workforce the strike today closed the stock exchanges of sao paulo and rio de janeiro for the government the one positive development on the labour front was the gradual return to work of the nation s seamen who began a national strike on february a union spokesman in rio de janeiro told reuters about half the seamen had returned to work after accords with companies and that the strike looked close to an end otherwise the labour scene looked bleak with the bank strike posing the most serious problems for brazil s crisis laden economy if this goes on for more than a few days it will have a serious effect because normal financial operations will grind to a halt said a western diplomat in sao paulo today brazil s university teachers in the federal universities launched a national strike with a broad political demand as well as a pay claim david fleischer head of the political science department in brasilia university told reuters the national association of higher education teachers wanted a full congressional inquiry into what had happened to government education funds he said the universities were strapped for cash and that the association suspected the junior partner in the coalition government the liberal front party pfl of using education funds for projects which had helped their candidates in elections the pfl holds the education ministry hardly any sectors of the economy are proving immune to the current labour unrest caused by the return of high inflation officially pegged at pct for january february other possible strikes looming include stoppages by oil industry workers and social security workers reuter 
