Venezuela educators denounce forced retirements and wage crisis

Labor representatives in Venezuela are denouncing several systemic issues affecting educators and retirees. Raquel Figueroa of the Colegio de Profesores de Venezuela (CPV) reported that the Ministry of Education is imposing unsolicited retirements on teachers, administrative staff, and manual workers. Figueroa claims this policy aims to reduce professional stable positions to make room for non-professional staff, a move she warns will lead to the deprofessionalization of the teaching career and trigger new waves of migration.

Simultaneously, inter-union leaders including Carlos Cardozo and Roberto Duque have raised alarms regarding the dire conditions of approximately 5,000 retirees and pensioners in the health and education sectors. They have submitted formal complaints to the Venezuelan Vice Presidency and international authorities, citing derisory wages, the replacement of salaries with non-salary bonuses, and the failure to honor collective bargaining agreements. These groups are seeking the restoration of fair wages and an end to the practice of using bonuses to circumvent salary obligations.