Brazil's public-sector employees protest outsourcing bill

Brazil's public-sector employees Wednesday blocked highways and shut factories around the country to protest a proposed bill that would open up their sector to outsourcing.

Trade unions said the bill is designed to only benefit business owners and makes working conditions even more precarious for outsourced employees, who already get fewer benefits and lower average wages.

The morning protests, taking place when the bill was being debated in Congress, were not as large as Sunday's anti-government demonstrations, but they were more influential, since state-owned factories and city-run mass transit systems were brought to a halt.

State factory workers blocked highways in Sao Paulo state, Brazil's main industrial center. And in Porto Alegre, in southern Rio Grande do Sul state, city train and bus conductors went on strike.

In Salvador, in northeast Bahia state, bus drivers also went on strike, while in Belem, in northern Para state, bank workers walked off the job.

Congress is expected to pass the outsourcing bill, but President Dilma Rousseff is considered likely to veto it.

Current Brazilian legislation bans outsourcing for government services.