Venezuela’s public sector workers are mounting the biggest anti-government protests in years as they fall behind in an economy that has embraced the US dollar.
(Bloomberg) — Venezuela’s public sector workers are mounting the biggest anti-government protests in years as they fall behind in an economy that has embraced the US dollar.
Hundreds of public school teachers marched in downtown Caracas on Monday, joined by nurses, pensioners and others to demand higher salaries to compensate for the rapid depreciation of the local currency.
Workers organized at least 50 protests on Monday and more than 150 across the nation in the past week, according to preliminary estimates from the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict, which tracks social unrest in the country.
The average monthly wage for teachers of around 500 bolivars — about $25 – is barely enough to pay for public transportation costs, protesters said.
“As well as being a teacher, I am a nail technician, a baker and graphic designer,” said Ines Gil, 43, a teacher at a Caracas public school who, like others, donned black to symbolize her mourning for decent pay. “I have to do whatever it takes to survive.”
By allowing the dollar to freely circulate, the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro helped orchestrate a rebound from the 2013-2020 economic crash — one of the deepest slumps in world history. But while many private sector employees now get paid in dollars, and are enjoying rising living standards, public sector workers paid in inflation-hit bolivars are being left out.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez dismissed the protests as being part of a “destabilization plan” organized from Washington.
“They want to knock us off the path of growth,” she said, in remarks broadcast on state TV.
In Monday’s demonstration, protesters ripped up and stomped on bolivars while chanting that they need a “dignified” level of wages to stay in their country. More than 7 million Venezuelans have emigrated in recent years.
Maduro may be reluctant to order a violent crackdown of the kind seen in the past. He is waiting for the release of more than $3 billion frozen abroad, and another wave of bloodshed could cause Washington to block his access to the funds.
In a bid to calm the protests, the government gave Gil and other teachers a $30 bonus on Sunday. The government has often appeased such protests with handouts and bonuses payments, but is unable to be very generous given its weak finances.
Bloomberg’s Cafe con Leche index, which tracks the price of a cup of coffee, jumped 53% in December. Venezuela’s central bank hasn’t published official inflation figures since October.
“I am sick and have no health insurance or money to pay for the scans I need,” said Heyra Vega, 49, who didn’t elaborate on her medical problems. “This time we’ve lost our fear. We’re tired of this situation.”
–With assistance from Fabiola Zerpa.
(Updates with details in 1st paragraph, adds vice president’s comments in 7th)
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