With a minimum wage of Bs 126 ($5.5) that is devalued every day, both union organizations and companies expected to leave the meeting of the Social Dialogue Forum with a salary amount that Chavismo would agree with.
The Social Dialogue Forum that brought together private companies, union organizations and the Government with the mediation of the International Labor Organization (ILO) concluded without an agreement on the minimum wage, but Jorge Roig, a member of the Board of Directors of the multilateral organization, clarified that this was not the purpose of the meeting.
Through a message posted on your twitter accountRoig affirmed that the purpose of this meeting with the technical assistance of the OIT It was not at any time to determine a minimum salary to be approved after the meeting, but rather to determine a mechanism that allows setting an amount take into account the opinion of all parties.
«The Social Dialogue Forum meeting in Margarita did not have the objective of agreeing on the increase in the minimum wage, which is exclusively optional for the Government. The tripartite dialogue with the ILO is to consult the methods of fixing the minimum wage”, he stressed.
The former president of the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Production (Fedecámaras) recalled that the discussion revolves around the ILO convention 26 —which the Government is currently failing to comply with—, which establishes the obligation to consult minimum wage fixing methods.
“In times of high inflation, it is a complex issue that requires technicians from the Central Bank of Venezuela, information on employment and informality figures, and the value of the basic basket,” he explained.
In this sense, it ensures that “false expectations” were created promoted by people unaware of the mediating role of the ILO and by “people who are out of the dialogue with other intentions”, since the objective of creating a technical instance that leads to the salary setting mechanism, was met.
“The setting of the minimum wage is the power of the executive and the evolution of the technical instance does not prevent this from happening at the discretion of the executive,” he said.
That is why a technical instance was created to analyze these variables. The fixing of the minimum wage is the power of the executive and the evolution of the technical instance does not prevent this from happening at the discretion of the executive.
— Jorge Roig Navarro (@jorgeroig) February 2, 2023
Despite Roig’s clarifications, the expectations around agreeing on an amount for the minimum wage arose thanks to comments from the same actors who participated in the dialogue, both Fedecámaras and the union organizations.
On one side, Fedecamaras proposeda week before the arrival of the ILO officials, that the tripartite dialogue in this instance would serve to “establish a discussion on the minimum wage in which all the actors involved participate, allowing the decision adopted by the Government to respond to the needs of workers and employers as a product of dialogue”.
On the other side, after the dialogue, the union organizations rejected that the Government was not willing to accept their request to determine an amount during the meeting.
“The Government has not proposed to us in the Social Dialogue Forum amounts and date of a salary increase, despite our insistence. We regret that an opportunity to improve the very poor minimum wage that the majority of workers receive has been lost,” indicates a statement signed by the participating organizations that are not biased towards Chavismo.
*Read also: Neither lava nor lend the pan: Government refused to set salary in Social Dialogue Forum
Another component that generated expectations regarding the salary increase has to do with the multiple protests that have been carried out in recent months by different groups of workers demanding decent remuneration, since the current minimum of Bs 126 is equivalent to only $5.57 when converting according to the official dollar rateestablished by the BCV for this February 3 at Bs 22.6 per currency.
Table to define the minimum wage
After the meeting, Fedecámaras issued a statement in which he confessed the difficulties that the dialogue “continues to present” and stressed the effort that the participating actors must continue to make to achieve results.
In this letter they gave details about the agreements reached, especially the one related to the technical table to create a mechanism for setting the minimum wage. It was specified that this instance should take into account economic variables and indicators, socio-labour indicators, the growth of the Venezuelan economy and an assessment of the impact of sanctions.
“The evaluation of the impact of the sanctioning issue was also included, since it is a reality that affects the economic situation of the country and the availability of the Government to make salary adjustments,” the statement expands.
In addition to this space for discussion, the parties also agreed to “consolidate” the existing three-party consultation mechanisms and promote a consultation before the National Assembly to discuss a reform of the current labor law.
It was also agreed to hold meetings between Fedecámaras and the National Land Institute (INTI) to discuss the violation of private property.
Likewise, hold meetings between the Public Prosecutor’s Office and employers’ and workers’ organizations regarding cases of arrests and legal proceedings or precautionary and substitute measures related to the exercise of legitimate union activities.
*Read also: Chacao teachers close Francisco de Miranda avenue demanding salary improvements
On the part of the unions, more agreements were reached regarding the democratization of the unions. Meetings with the National Electoral Council are expected to guarantee autonomous electoral processes.
Finally, the workers hope to review with the Ministry of Labor the cases related to the National Registry of Union Organizations (RNOS) and the issue of retention and payment of union dues.
Post Views: 1,223
