Maduro once again extends job security, now for two years

With presidential decree number 5,070 dated December 27, 2024, the Executive renewed the job security for another two years. With this resolution there are 29 extensions that prohibit the dismissal of public and private workers

The administration of Nicolás Maduro once again established an extension of job security for workers in the public and private sectors. This extension will be in effect for the next two years, that is, from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026, according to Decree No. 5,070 in the Extraordinary Official Gazette number 6,868.

«Job immobility is established in favor of the workers of the public and private sectors governed by the decree with the rank, value and force of Organic Labor Law, the workers, for the period of two (02) years counted between the first (1st) of January, two thousand twenty-five (2025) and the thirty-first (31st) of December, two thousand twenty-six (2026), both dates inclusive in order to protect the right to work as a fundamental process that allows the promotion of prosperity, the well-being of the people and the construction of a just and peace-loving society,” the document indicates.

The Minister of Labor, Eduardo Piñate, made public the Gazette dated December 27, 2024 on his social networks. In his opinion, the purpose of the measure is “to protect the right to work as a fundamental process for the construction of a just and peace-loving society.”

Article 2 of the decree establishes that protected workers “may not be fired, demoted or transferred without
just cause previously qualified by the Labor Inspector of the jurisdiction.

In the event that the worker is dismissed, demoted without just cause or transferred without his or her consent, he or she may
report the fact to the inspector within 30 continuous days, “and request reinstatement and payment of lost wages.”

Labor immobility was part of the package of measures that established in March 2020 by the Maduro administration as a result of the covid-19 pandemic in Venezuela, when a state of national alarm was declared. On that occasion, this decision was adopted until the end of that year and was then extended for two more years (2021-2022).

The measure of prohibiting unjustified dismissal and the deterioration of workers’ working conditions has been a state policy since the presidency of Hugo Chávez, to protect the stability of workers in times of crisis. However, job immobility has created significant costs for companies and has been constantly violated in practice.

With the current executive resolution and Since 2020, 29 job security positions have been declared with validity ranging from one month to two years. Between 1974 and 2000, only three decrees of this type were made official.

Decree 5,070 of December 27, 2024, through which the President Obrero@NicolasMadurorenews job security for the next 2 years, thus defending the stability of the working class at work. On January 10 I swear with Maduro. pic.twitter.com/hEMWtPO4Wk

— eduardo piñate (@eduardopiate2) December 29, 2024