CARACAS.- In the midst of the unstable economy throughout the year, the guilds education, health and public sector workers, as well as pensioners and retirees Venezuela close the year 2023 without having obtained from the Nicolas Maduro the increase of salary basic, neither bonuses for everyone, nor the possibility of acquiring the necessary food basket.
The unattended demands throughout the country generated 4,351 protests during the first half of 2023, that is, an average of 24 daily demonstrations, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Social ConflictHe who keeps the pulse of citizen complaints against the regime.
In August of this year alone, 389 protests were reported which, although they decreased compared to the same period in 2022, means for this organization “an increase in repression and selective criminalization.” Public workers do not escape from the actions.
Arrested for demanding wages
The most recent event occurred on December 26, one day after Christmas, when the commander of the Miranda state Fire Department, Alonso Lizcano, was arrested in the morning for demanding salary improvements and “decent Christmases” for the entire team. , through a video that was broadcast on the 24th, Venezuelan media reported.
In his message, the fire chief said that in his house he has no hallacas, no ham, or anything for his children.
In the afternoon, Lizcano was released with the promise of being attended to by superiors and receiving the $150 bonus offered.
What is earned in Venezuela
Public employees receive a basic salary of between 45 dollars and 60 dollars per month, while workers earn 130 bolivars, equivalent to 3.6 dollars per month at the official exchange rate, the same amount received by pensioners and other workers in Venezuela.
Against this, the food basket cost 522.01 dollars at the official exchange rate, in the month of November, equivalent to 19,314.47 bolivars. According to the Center for Documentation and Social Analysis of the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers (Cendas-FVM), the basket increased 28.48 more than the month of October.
The products with the highest cost were sugar and salt (7.70%), followed by meat and its preparations (7.56%) and milk, cheese and eggs (7.19%), according to Cendas-FVM. Meanwhile, inflation reached 182.9% until November.
Faced with a stagnant economy and no answers due to the Maduro regime, workers in the public education sector, from basic to university, insist on their demands because the money is not enough for them.
Teachers, for example, earn on average about 798 bolivars (21.57 dollars), which means that they require 24.2 average salaries to cover the cost of the Family Food Basket, according to the National Federation of Teachers. And new actions to demand wages are already being proposed for 2024.
Source: With information from the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict, Digital Finance, FVM, Diario Las Américas Editorial Team
