Caracas, Jan 9 (EFE).- Hundreds of public sector workers protested Tuesday in Caracas and throughout Venezuela against “starvation wages” and demanded a “decent” income that would allow them to cover their basic needs, and denounced “harassment at work.”
Health, transportation, and education, among other unions, called for at least three protests on January 9, 15, and 23, 2024, after legislator Oscar Ronderos announced a salary increase of about 10% for 2024, equivalent to 13 bolivars (36 US cents).
“Public sector workers from more than 80 municipalities in the country, including 23 states and Caracas, are protesting at the national level against the mockery of the salary increase of Bs. 13 (…),” announced the Trade Union Coalition.
The president of the Venezuelan Union of Teachers of the Capital District (Caracas), Edgar Machado, told EFE that they are demanding “decent salaries” and the “elimination” of an order from the National Budget Office that, they claim, has worsened their conditions and “suffocates all workers.”
“We don’t have any benefits, we have the same salaries (in bolivars) that have been swallowed by inflation,” said the teacher, who also pointed out that his income is not enough to pay for transportation for an entire month.
The president of the Union of Caracas’ Mayor office, Yenis Silva, told journalists that as of Tuesday, public workers have had “662 days without an increase in salary or pensions,” so today they have started “again” protests, in the absence of a “favorable response” from the authorities.
“This can’t be tolerated anymore, we workers are already living in extreme poverty and a decent wage is our human right,” said Silva, who denounced that the workers of the “Caracas Mayor’s Office” are being “persecuted and harassed” and “have received threats of dismissal” for the “simple fact of defending their labor rights.”
Likewise, the general secretary of the United Workers of Venezuela (CUTV), Pedro Eusse, emphasized the unity of the mobilizations, “regardless of ideological or political orientation.”
“What unites us is the need to achieve a decent salary, a decent pension, respect for the right to collective bargaining, collective labor contracts, freedom of association, and an end to the persecution and harassment of workers who struggle,” he added.
Wages in bolivars, earned mainly by public sector workers, have lost purchasing power due to the rise of the dollar in the country, where businesses use this currency as a reference for setting prices.
The minimum wage, which has been set at 130 bolivars per month since March 2022, is now equivalent to 3.6 dollars per month, according to the official exchange rate.
The protest was supported by several opponents, including the presidential candidate of the main anti-Chavista coalition, María Corina Machado, who highlighted on X (formerly Twitter) the “courage and determination” of the workers who “demand decent work and the recognition of their work.”
Nicolás Maduro has not commented on the matter, nor has he announced an imminent increase in the country’s minimum wage. EFE
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