3,800 Petrobras Workers Might Take Voluntary Severance Offer

Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras aims to save 7.6 billion reais ($1.4 billion) by 2025 through voluntary buyout programs that will affect 3,800 employees, according to a securities filing on Wednesday.

Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the company is formally known, on Wednesday launched a new program focused on employees who are eligible for retirement, and said it is making adjustments to voluntary severance programs already in place.

Petrobras in recent years has initiated several waves of buyouts, which have gained urgency as the company sells off hundreds of assets and exits various lines of business in a bid to reduce debt and sharpen its focus on offshore oil production.

The impact on the company's finances will be felt over the course of three years, Petrobras said in the filing. The company added that it will take a provision of 1.29 billion reais in the second quarter to fund the buyouts.

($1 = 5.25 reais) (Reporting by Carolina Mandl and Gram Slattery; Editing by Catherine Evans and Paul Simao)