Labor protests in Venezuela

The CLACSO centers and networks in Venezuela consider it necessary to speak out regarding the current labor situation in the country.

We want to emphasize that the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) has stood in solidarity with Venezuela in the defense of its sovereignty, independence and self-determination, in the face of systematic attacks from imperialist nations.

Our interest focuses, in particular, on the contribution of the social sciences to social justice, fair distribution of national wealth and inclusion within a framework of democracy, civil liberties and the promotion of critical thinking with a feminist, decolonial and ecological perspective.

In this context, we have been monitoring the recent and growing protests by Venezuelan public employees and the working class, especially teachers at all educational levels, from preschool to university. The central purpose of these mobilizations is to demand that the National Executive respect the rights acquired through agreements and collective bargaining agreements reached over the last forty years.

In a context of severe limitations that the Venezuelan working class has faced in recent years, honoring contractual commitments on the path to recovering the purchasing power of the real wages of active and retired public administration employees constitutes a legitimate aspiration of the Venezuelan teaching and working class.

The policies and directives issued by the National Budget Office (ONAPRE), with their monetarist approach to the economy, have become unpopular guidelines and instruments for those who live by their labor. Therefore, a significant sector of the social and labor movement is demanding: 1) respect for acquired rights, especially regarding the definitions and percentage amounts of bonuses for teaching staff and workers, which requires their timely and full payment; 2) dialogue with the diverse range of the labor movement to establish, by consensus, a precise path for wage recovery; and 3) the development of collective bargaining agreements that honor the model of participatory and protagonistic democracy enshrined in the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

This protest movement is a demand for rights, typical of the world of work, and as such it must be understood and addressed in a democratic, social state governed by the rule of law and justice.

Most of our members belong to academia, teaching and research, who carry out their work for pedagogical purposes and have expressed their concern about the current situation of labor discontent and growing protest.

We offer the participation of CLACSO Venezuela to foster dialogue that contributes to finding common ground, peacefully resolving differences, and ensuring the greatest possible happiness in this situation for the national teaching profession and the working class.

This statement was supported by the CLACSO Steering Committee.

CLACSO Venezuela Centers and Networks
4 2022 August