The Federation of Associations of University Professors of Venezuela (FAPUV) announced this Monday the carrying out of a 24-hour national strike for Wednesday, which will cover all public universities in the country. The measure seeks to pressure for salary improvements, the reactivation of the negotiation of the collective agreement and full guarantees of freedom of association.
He guild university maintains that the situation of the sector has reached a critical point and that its attention should occupy a central place in the national political discussion.
“Overcoming the precarious situation of university students in Venezuela and the educational sector in general must be included as a priority on the political agenda to overcome the social emergency,” the organization detailed.
In turn, he explained that this April 22 stoppage represents the beginning of a new phase of claims, in a context where the minimum wage It has remained stagnant for four years at levels equivalent to 0.27 dollars per month.
Educational unions in Venezuela demand working conditions
The Association of Professors of the Central University of Venezuela (APUCV), the main union of that university, also joined the call and reiterated the urgency of adequate working conditions for teaching staff.
“Education cannot wait, nor can teachers continue without decent conditions,” they stressed.
Support for the call has been extended to unions from other institutions such as the University of Zulia (LUZ), the National Experimental University of the Western Plains Ezequiel Zamora (Unellez) and the Libertador Experimental Pedagogical University (UPEL), which confirmed their participation in the day of protest.
Likewise, union centers such as the National Union of Workers (UNETE), the Unitary Central of Workers of Venezuela (CUTV), the General Confederation of Workers (CGT) and the Confederation of Autonomous Unions (CODESA) expressed their support, agreeing on the need for decent wages and effective collective bargaining.
Educational protests in Venezuela demand fair and decent salaries
For the same date, the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers (FVM) also called a national day of assemblies in demand of a “fair, sufficient and decent” salary, which anticipates a day of high mobilization in the educational sector.
Labor protests have been increasing in different unions in the midst of the persistent wage crisis, especially in the university environment, where workers denounce sustained deterioration in their living conditions.
In this scenario, the acting president Delcy Rodríguez announced last week an adjustment to the minimum wage scheduled for May 1, although without detailing the amount or conditions, describing it as a “responsible” increase. The base salary remains set at 130 bolivars from 2022.
According to figures from the FVM Documentation and Analysis Center, a family of five required $692.32 in March to cover the food basket, which represents an increase compared to the previous month, when it was estimated at $645.6.
With information from Efe.
