	brazil seamen continue strike after court decision hundreds of marines were on alert at key brazilian ports after seamen decided to remain on indefinite strike even after the higher labour court yesterday ruled it illegal union leaders said the halt the first national strike by seamen in years started on february and union leaders said they would not return to work unless they got a pct pay rise owners have offered a per cent raise which the seamen rejected we have nothing to lose if they want to lay off the workers fine but we are determined to carry on with our protest until the end a union leader said he said they had decided in a meeting that if the marines take over the s the seamen would abandon the vessels and let the marines handle the situation by themselves a spokesman for the rio de janeiro port said the order to send marines to take over the ports was given by navy minister henrique saboya on grounds that ports are areas of national security but he said there were no incidents the strike has cut exports and imports and made an estimated s idle petrol station owners in four states also continued their shutdown and there were fears that the combination of the two stoppages could lead to a serious fuel shortage reuter 
